The Coming of the Storm
by Adularia-chan
Summary: The sole heir to Crystal Tokyo flees into the only haven she knows: the past. Now, it is the duty of Usagi to protect her and the ones she loves....
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. They belong   
to the very talented goddess Naoko Takeuchi  
and I do not mean to pretend that I own them. I am not attempting to make money from them.  
I'm just a poor 'lil fanfic author who loves this show and the manga it's based on, so   
please don't sue me. I won't have any money after buying Fushigi Yuugi anyway.  
  
Author's notes: This is basically a first draft (though it has been rewritten   
once and revised  
several times) so there may be a couple of typos. Also, as I am not entirely   
happy with this (I still think it needs a fair amount of work)  
as it is, I will probably do another set of revisions in the future to create a   
better version.  
Please, please review this so that I can have a better idea of how to improve it   
and the two parts  
that follow this one (this is sort of a prelude to the rest of the story).  
I need all the help I can get!  
Arigato gozaimasu!  
Oh, and before I forget, I would like to that Mina-chan for listening to the   
horror that was the  
original form of this story. I still don't know how she survived. ^_^  
  
The princess's eyelids slid open, revealing two shadowed irises. Her eyes   
darted around, bleakly surveying her   
surroundings. A moment ago she had dreamed of a pale blue sky with wisps of   
clouds hanging over her head.   
Now, she saw only darkness. It seemed that that was her world now. She lived   
in that suffocating blackness.   
When she went to sleep at night it was the last thing she saw, just as it was   
the first thing she saw when she opened  
her eyes in the morning. There were times where she was unable to picture   
anything but it, unable to recall what color  
or light or beauty was. She closed her eyes once again, realizing that there   
was nothing to look at, there never had been.   
That was all right though, that was something she could tolerate. As long as   
her own eyes could not perceive her weakness,   
no one else could. She was safe, hidden beneath the veil of near eternal   
night.I have so little time left, she thought grimly.   
How many years-no, maybe not even that-do I have before my death? How long   
before she is the only one left?   
She let out a small cry as another spasm ripped through her. After that,   
there was silence.   
* * * * *  
"Sugoi," Chibi-Usa whispered as she looked at her mother. "Mama, you look   
wonderful!" A smile spread across  
Neo-Queen Serenity's regal face. For an instant, Chibi-Usa could have sworn she   
saw Usagi peeking out from her mother's  
perfect exterior. For that brief moment in time they were like sisters once   
again, giggling over some secret that only they knew.  
"Arigato, Small Lady," she said. She tugged at the hem of the silver gown   
a bit nervously. "Ne, do you think Mamo-  
chan will like it? Our anniversary is tonight and I…" Her daughter nodded   
enthusiastically, her pigtails bobbing up and down.  
"Of course! How could he not?" she said cheerfully. Her grin faded   
slightly, though she managed to appear joyful.   
She wished that she could look like that. Maybe she was a bit-just a little   
bit-envious. While she was pretty enough in her  
pink dress, her mother was radiant, an angelic figure masquerading as a mere   
human. She was a symbol of perfection, one   
which she could never achieve in her childish state. If only I could grow just   
a little, she thought longingly. I know I could   
make her proud. I could be a true lady and a real princess, not just a little   
girl. And Helios…  
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, her cheeks slightly flushed.   
For now, she would simply be happy for   
her mother and enjoy the celebration.   
As the small princess stood there, watching her beautiful mother she felt   
a faint twinge in the back of her mind. She  
tried to ignore it, but found that it was hard to forget. For some reason, she   
had an ominous feeling, like the moment before  
a storm. There was the small feeling of something being amiss somewhere,   
somewhere very close to her. An enemy? No, it   
couldn't be. The Crystal Tokyo has been at peace for years. Besides, no one   
would dare come near the ginzuishou.   
With that, she dismissed her worry and returned to the matters at hand. Later,   
she would regret that deeply.  
* * * * *  
The hologram flickered into existence with only a few seconds of delay.   
The light from the projector illuminated the   
princess's face, but did not reveal much of her. Darkness concealed most of her   
features, just as it was entwined in her soul.   
Slowly, she unclenched her fist and smiled. It was a bitter expression, one   
which few people cared to see. Why should she   
ever care though? She had no need of sympathy or friendship, emotions would   
only cloud her judgment.  
The hologram showed a group of women in schoolgirl-like costumes. They   
were laughing in the picture, clearly happy  
with everything around them. It was nauseating to watch their expressions.   
They remained blissful despite the suffering of   
the people beneath their feet. They didn't even spare a single thought of pity   
for those forgotten people.  
Unbidden, memories swam up in her mind. A girl, barely breaking the age of   
adolecence was torn to shreds by a   
violent storm rising from the planet's surface. A grown man broke down and   
wept. With an anguished smile, a silver   
haired girl drew a glistening dagger across her wrists. The world around her   
dissolved into chaos as the whole world   
rocked. She trembled slightly, but forced it to cease quickly. She couldn't   
afford these emotions. She had dealt with   
such pain all of her life and had learned that isolating yourself from it was   
the only way to endure. Loneliness was a blessing in disguise.  
She stared at the smiling face of a woman clad in an elegant white gown. She   
was beautiful, shining from both inside   
and outside. She was disgusting. Her smile was coated with sacrifices she   
denied and her kingdom was built upon   
skeletons. Always, always she had hated her. Deep down inside, she loathed her   
with a passion that bordered on insanity. She closed her eyes but still that   
smile blazed against her eyelids. It haunted her dreams, her thoughts. She   
couldn't get that monstrosity out of her mind.  
Slowly, she stretched her fingers out into the hologram itself. Shadows drifted   
upwards as she covered up the light.   
She moved her fingers in a slow, dark dance so that the shadows reached up to   
extinguish the queen's light. Those   
inhuman fingers created of darkness covered the queen's empty smile, destroying   
it. She felt her anger die,   
smoldering until nothing was left. All emotions sank away into oblivion, as she   
had trained  
them to. Soon, she felt nothing at all. The familiar numbness that shielded   
her filled her soul once more. She felt   
nothing. Nothing at all.   
Soon…your kingdom will end. The just shall rule once more, and banish   
your people to where they belong. Then you will know how we have suffered here.   
Only then will you truly understand the crime that you committed…It will be to   
late for you then though. You will be trapped in the darkness then…forever…  
* * * * *  
Haruka tried to restrain a smirk as she looked in the mirror, but found   
it impossible. What could she say?   
She looked great and she knew it too. She reveled in that brief moment of   
utterly selfish, ridiculous pleasure while Michiru   
chuckled.  
"Who are you dressing up for?"   
"It is our queen's anniversary. I have a right to be vain once in a   
while," she insisted. Michiru raised an eyebrow and  
looked at her partner's ensemble. Not surprisingly, it was a classy with a   
slightly modern appearance. For the occasion,   
she had chosen a deep navy suit, the top tightening at the waist to fall down   
and form a dress-like tunic that accented her   
more feminine side. All of this was embroidered carefully with golden patterns.   
"I don't know how you can manage to be so cheerful at a time like this,"   
Michiru said, half envious, half teasing.   
She watched as Haruka let her eyes slide towards her, leaning against a bookcase   
in the room. Her partner knew she was   
missing something. Her eyes scanned the surface of the situation but saw   
nothing obviously wrong.  
"A time like what?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual tone.   
Michiru arched a single eyebrow upward.   
"You actually don't remember who's coming as guests for the celebration?"   
Haruka searched her memory, but   
found no answer.  
"Do you remember the last time we went on a diplomatic mission to Kinmoku?   
Our settlement was that they, the   
senshi of Kinmoku and its neighboring planets, were given not only diplomatic   
immunity but they were allowed to visit here   
at any time they pleased. They decided that since the queen's birthday was so   
special and they owed her such a great debt…" She let her voice trail off as   
her partner's eyes had already widened immensely.  
"Why, in the name of Kami-sama, do I need to deal with them?" Haruka   
groaned. "I had been having a good day   
and…" A smile played across Michiru's lips.  
"Try to be civil. They are some of our strongest allies, and we can't   
afford to have relationships between our   
planets crumble. We don't even have many allies outside of this system."  
"The less, the better," Haruka grumbled. "They're all equally arrogant,   
self-centered and useless."  
"Don't try anything, even if you can't stand them," Michiru warned her.   
"Look, I tried to prevent this somehow but   
it didn't exactly work out. You will civil to them while they're here though,   
ne?" She gave Haruka a particularly harsh look,   
her sea-blue eyes staring her partner down. Haruka looked back at her defiantly   
for a few seconds before relenting with a   
rueful laugh.  
"Only for you, love," she muttered. Michiru softened her expression to a   
smile. With a small wink, she turned and   
exited the room. She let a little sigh escape her lips as soon as she was out   
of earshot. Their conversations tended to be   
lighter these days, Haruka showing her small but amusing playful side. It had   
become easy for her to take such little things   
for granted, but every once in a while she would remember a time when things had   
been different, when the only words   
exchanged between them were ominous warnings and mutual fears.   
Michiru's thoughts were inturrupted by a sense of foreboding. Without   
really understanding why, she got a sudden   
desire to look at her mirror. Knowing that her impulses were rarely wrong or   
without basis, she did not resist. She held her   
hand out and carefully withdrew the object from its dimensional pocket. Her own   
face looked back at her, motionless,   
concentrating on the smooth surface for something that did not appear.   
It happened so quickly that she could almost have imagined it. The   
surface of the mirror darkened, fogged over.   
Within a fraction of a second, it was normal again. Michiru felt her shoulders   
sag slightly. She shifted her weight so that   
she was resting on the wall. Her legs suddenly didn't feel very steady.  
Kami-sama…it isn't over already is it? This gift of peace? I don't know   
if I can go back to that. It never   
gets easier.   
It wasn't the beginning of this though. Even though she didn't want to   
believe it, she was aware that something had   
been going on for some time. Everything had seemed to be rushing past her at an   
incredible speed. It was as if she just   
didn't have time to grasp anything, to stretch moments out forever.   
The other senshi had been feeling the effects to. Mercury would spend   
hours on her computer, taping furiously as   
though she was searching for something that she could niether understand nor   
place. Jupiter had begun to pace restlessly,   
the energy locked within her leaking out in too many ways. Venus, while usually   
optimistic, had developed a painfully   
cheerful disposition, straining to smile despite her fear.   
And Uranus…Michiru winced. She was starting to think of her own partner   
as a senshi. She had to remember   
that there was a person there. If she forgot…  
That was when she realized that Haruka had begun to act more like her old self.   
Normally she was the teasing,   
thoughtful person she loved, but there were times when her eyes turned cold and   
her face hardened, her features   
returning to the icy, bitter expression that had haunted them for too long.   
Distant, Michiru thought grimly. That's   
what she's becoming again, isn't it?   
Haruka had hidden it well though, Michiru reflected. She had never spoken of   
the subject, even to the point of not   
mentioning previous battles. She continued to pretend to be cheerful, flirting   
and gently teasing her partner as though   
nothing was wrong. She was even starting to show some of the strained optimism   
that Minako had. It seemed so   
obvious, now that Michiru thought about it.   
Why didn't I see it before? she thought. Why didn't I notice that she was   
acting? I know her better than she knows herself, so why couldn't I see through   
her façade? The answer came unbidden to her almost instantly: she had not   
wanted to see the truth. She had wanted everything to continue this way, with   
nothing ever coming between them again. Above all though, she couldn't bring   
herself to face the fact that her partner was lying to her.  
Oh, not directly lying. But she had been decieving Michiru, concealing her   
emotions. Why, Haruka? You know I  
care about you more than anyone else in the world, so why did you have to hide   
it? Why didn't you trust me?  
Michiru would listen, and try to understand. She would do anything for   
Haruka, even die. She needed her, and   
needed her to be honest about everything. Every secret in her heart was another   
brick for a wall between them. Now,   
if something came shattered the bond between them, she didn't know if she could   
stand it. One more war, one more   
set of endless sacrifices, nerve-wrecking battles and impossible hurdles and   
their relationship would be at risk.  
Michiru took a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves. This was no time to   
think of such things. She had a duty  
to fulfill, a terrible, burdensome duty that she would never be rid of. She   
had to be a senshi again, at least temporarily. That  
meant putting aside everything else and thinking of protecting her queen and   
kingdom.   
She couldn't be sure that some enigmatic enemy was going to attack Crystal Tokyo   
and destroy everything she had  
given her life to preserve. Besides, she couldn't make an announcement with no   
proof. She knew perfectly well   
that she would look like a fool. She would just have to wait until something   
turned up.   
She could only pray nothing did. As long as she had no evidence, she   
could believe that it was just paranoia from   
to many battles, . As long as she didn't acknowledge it, it didn't really exist   
for her. For this one time only,  
she didn't want to go with her gut instinct.  
* * * * *  
Haruka's smile dwindled and vanished after Michiru had left. Michiru had   
been uneasy about something, not just   
the Starlights. She had hidden it very well, her partner couldn't deny it, but   
there had been something about her manner.   
She was a little too calm, a little too distant. She was afraid of something.  
Haruka let tightly coiled muscles relax and slumped into the couch. There   
was something else bothering her, not that   
it was anything new. She had felt restless for months now, but could never show   
it. Something had been plaguing her, a   
spectral force that she could never seem to place or understand.   
Something she couldn't fight. That alone worried her. A battle was one   
thing, with the threat clear and in front of   
her the entire time. That she could handle. But this thing-whether it was   
merely a creation of her subconcious or a very   
real danger-was something beyond her ability.  
Damn it! she thought. Michiru's the one for this sort of thing, not me.   
She deals with the future, I deal with   
the present, simple. That's how it's supposed to work. She didn't want to talk   
to Michiru about this though, a fact that   
startled her. She knew she'd try to understand, and to empathize, but that was   
what worried her. Michiru was too   
empathetic. She'd get all worried about a touch of paranoia. She loved her too   
much to put her through so much pain  
if it really was for nothing.  
She didn't want to think about all that right then. She had too many   
thoughts swirling around in her mind. All of  
them were going no where very quickly.   
She closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the dazed state between   
sleep and awareness. She let her weary  
mind drift back a duet they had played a while ago, to that moment when it   
seemed like there was nothing between them,   
as though they were one person. She savored that feeling, running it through   
her head again and again. Each time, it   
seemed to fade a little, until she could barely remember it at all.  
* * * * *  
Michiru stared into her mirror. Her steady gaze did not falter at all.   
She needed to know what this was, if there   
was anything there. She ached to just put the silly thing away. She could   
deposit the mirror again and just forget about it.   
No one would ever need to know. No one could ever prove it had happened.  
Then a treacherous thought crept into her mind: What if it was something?   
And if it was, and she didn't warn   
anyone, Crystal Tokyo would never have time to prepare sufficiently. And if it   
came to that, Haruka might be hurt, she  
might even die.   
Her mind conjured a startlingly vivid picture of her lover's mangled   
corpse. Just thinking about it made her chest tighten and heart ache. Her   
resolve strengthened with that and she continued to peer into the fathomless   
depths of her mirror. Still, nothing unusual showed.   
I wish that I could believe that there was nothing there, she thought. I   
really do. I cannot afford to risk anyone because of that though, I need to   
know for sure.  
It seems like we've had so little time at peace though. The war with   
Nemesis only ended a decade or so ago. She couldn't help but wince at the   
memory of that experience. They were perfectly prepared to face us and caught   
us all off guard. I still can remember the isolation we outers experienced.   
They separated us from the Crystal Tokyo, forcing us to use our greater powers   
in an endless stream of battles against droidos designed to exhaust us. I can   
still almost see the dungeon in my mind. It was designed to suck energy slowly   
from those who stayed there. It seemed like an eternity before the war ended   
and we were taken, barely alive from that miserable cell and returned to our   
castles. I thought I would go crazy there, completely cut off from everyone   
else as our bodies degraded each day.   
Peace was such a wonderful thing after that experience. Haruka and I had   
been able to live the life we had yearned for all those years. We had been able   
to be sort of a family even.   
Someday, perhaps we will have a family, like we did when we were raising   
Hotaru. I know that a child is too much to ask for. I should be happy that I   
already have someone to love. Maybe when we have a long stretch of peace that   
dream can become a reality.  
Haruka would say I'm being selfish right now to indulge in my own world   
and my own dreams. Perhaps it's because I've guarded these things at my own   
expense for so long. To have the dreams that have always seemed so far away   
would be such a joy. That might be why I don't want to go back to fighting, to   
our never-ending battle. We can never truly be free from destiny, but it would   
be nice to have a chance to sit back and grow old with my partner, to enjoy what   
we've struggled to save for so long. If only this time of peace would never   
end. If only we could stay this way forever, not worrying about things like   
that.  
I know that it can never be though…I will not waver when I need to protect   
the future of this kingdom though. If I have to fight, then I will. I cannot   
turn back for my own selfish reasons. I once swore that I would sacrifice   
everything for this, I can't go back on that now.  
The mirror in her hands suddenly turned black. A stunned woman turned to   
face her. Michiru could not see the details of her face because of the darkness   
surrounding her, but her anger and fear were apparent. With little warning, the   
woman held out one hand, as if to strike her. Cracks split the smooth surface   
of the mirror. Michiru held up one arm in front of her face, but only succeeded   
in catching several of the shards of glass.   
Michiru screamed out of shock and collapsed on the ground, her body aching. The   
fragments of her mirror slid across the floor to reform the talisman. She   
picked it up, shaken. It was confirmed now, their peace had ended abruptly.  
* * * * *  
The princess gasped sharply, struggling to retain the rhythm of her   
breathing. After several minutes she resumed inhaling and exhaling normally.   
She shouldn't have tried to use so much energy so quickly without preparation,   
even if it was urgent. By all appearances, her affliction was getting worse all   
of the time. Pushing it was begging for danger.   
It's not as if I have a choice, she thought. I…I can't justify saving   
myself while others die. I don't deserve that. Besides, the time is now. If   
we cannot eliminate them with one strike we may be overtaken completely.   
She mustered all of the strength she could, pouring it into one quivering   
hand. She reached out with her mind, stretching her awareness far beyond the   
little chamber she was residing in. At the edge of her consciousness, she felt   
another mind, reaching out to find her, to expose her plan.  
Another spasm ripped through her flesh, causing her body to jerk foreword   
slightly. She gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate on the threat and not   
her own pain. Her anger cut through her agony leaving her with the single   
thought of destroying the source. She held on to that blind rage until the   
attack subsided and she returned to her normal state.  
Without hesitation, she thrust her hand foreword into the air and sent the   
collected energy hurtling across space. It was a tremendous distance for her to   
cross and most of her magic dissipated.   
The princess snarled as she watched the spell crumble. Reluctantly she   
withdrew energy from the supply stored in her collar. That, combined with her   
own power, was enough to pose a threat to her enemy. Driven by shear will it   
sped towards its target.   
The princess smiled a little and fell back once more, breathing heavily.   
She felt no joy in doing this, barely even satisfaction at this point. All it   
did was ease the hunger of her fury, leave her emotions content for a while. It   
wasn't enough though, she needed more.  
* * * * *  
Rei prodded the smoldering embers in the hearth. After a few minutes, her   
patience was rewarded and flames leapt up from the ashes. She folded her legs   
beneath her and pressed her hands together in the traditional position. She   
called out the familiar chant, urging the fire to help her.  
She waited anxiously, her eyes never leaving the fire. After several   
moments of staring, she gave up to let her eyes rest. Nothing. She still could   
not find a thing. She sighed a little and shook her head. She was being   
ridiculous, Minako had already told her that. Crystal Tokyo had not faced an   
enemy in years. Why should one come now?   
If she had been anyone else, she would have given up completely, or even ignored   
her nervousness. It was easy to dismiss these things as paranoia. She was used   
to acting on her gut instinct though and was not about to break that habit.  
There was no warning. Before she could possibly have reacted, pain ripped   
through her. She tried to yell, but could not force her throat to make any   
noise other than a faint choking sound. Her muscles went rigid, then relaxed   
completely. She slumped to the floor, unconscious before she struck it.  
* * * * *   
Why now, of all times? Haruka thought. She turned to look at Michiru again and   
felt her heart flutter. Her normally elegant partner's face had been   
transformed. She was still beautiful, of course, she would always be beautiful.   
But her lips had not always been pressed together quite as tightly and her eyes   
had not always darted around the room warily.   
Michiru's fear was also starting to infect her. While she could not tell what   
was bothering her lover, she knew there was a reason for it. There was nothing   
she could do, not yet anyway. So, she simply tightened her grip on her lover's   
shoulder, as if she could somehow pass strength to her that way.  
Michiru looked up to her with gratitude, but showed no sign of relief. There's   
nothing I can do to help her, Haruka thought miserably. I wish she would just   
tell me what's bothering her, maybe I could find a solution then.   
"Michiru-sama!" someone called, their voice cutting through the din. Haruka   
sighed internally and watched her partner disappear into the crowd. She hated   
all of this formality. If people wanted things done, they should just do them   
with out flourishes and exchanges of courtly manners.   
She straightened a little in order to get a better view of who Michiru was   
talking to. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she noticed most of them were men.   
They were probably only discussing politics and she trusted Michiru. Still, she   
couldn't make herself feel completely at ease about it.  
Soon enough, people clustered around her, making movement almost impossible.   
She talked with them for a while, if only to kill time. When she could no   
longer stand it she made some polite excuses-all lies, of course-and left the   
room. She went to her own chambers and lay down on the bed, drifting in and out   
of sleep in an effort to ease her restlessness.  
* * * * *  
Michiru watched Haruka's fleeing form with a growing sense of isolation. There   
were hundreds of people crammed into that room, all bearing smiles. Yet, she   
felt more alone than ever. They couldn't understand her, they never would. For   
all of their kind words of support, they didn't know what it was like to live   
her life, to feel her pain.  
She continued to converse politely, no longer hearing the words leaving her   
lips. Maintaining this calm appearance under the most difficult of   
circumstances had become second nature for her. She barely had to be aware of   
anything as she went through the practiced dance of courtly manners.  
She kept scanning the crowd with increasing anxiety. Haruka was still missing.   
Normally, it would not have bothered her tremendously, but right then she wanted   
someone to hold her tightly, to tell her it would all work out somehow. She   
felt a wave of guilt at her selfishness. She wanted so much from Haruka, her   
love, her support, her time. She shouldn't demand so much of her, even after   
all of this time, but she didn't know how she could live without all of those   
things.  
Michiru brushed away her guilt and longing for comfort before she had the chance   
to get carried away. These were the emotions she had often felt as a school   
girl, they were no longer needed now and it was childish to let them control   
her.  
Looking for something to occupy her, she went looking for her fellow senshi.   
After several minutes of scrutiny she saw Minako. The bubbly queen was   
surrounded by a crowd of admirers, winking and smiling broadly. Michiru almost   
chuckled out loud at the sight. Who could resist the charm of her personality?   
Minako had gained elegance through age, but had never quite lost her playful   
nature.  
Michiru excused herself as quickly as she could and walked over in Minako's   
general direction. It was something to do, a simple goal to accomplish that   
would help take her mind off of things.   
She sighed internally, still not allowing a trace of emotion to show on her   
face. When she was younger she would have gone to the pool right about then, or   
the ocean if it was summer. She would swim laps for a while, melting her energy   
and frustration away and leaving only the placid cold of the water. After that,   
she would simply float there, aquamarine hair drifting out around her head while   
the water caressed her tensed muscles.   
Those had been the only times when she had really felt completely sane, with the   
water washing away all of her troubles and feelings. Her feverish desire to   
excel, to meet the impossible standards everyone set for her, the scorn of her   
classmates, even her obsession over Tenoh Haruka all disappeared, leaving her   
feeling empty, but at peace.  
She wanted to do that now, but couldn't. She couldn't just let go like that   
anymore, she had too many responsibilities. So, she continued to walk towards   
Minako seeking distraction.  
Someone slammed into her. Instincts formed from years of battle took over as   
adrenaline raced through her system. She relaxed when she saw who it was, but   
only slightly. Standing before her, still looking eerily like the adolescent   
who had entered her dressing room, was Seiya Kou. He was fidgeting slightly,   
obviously unaccustomed to his male body.  
"Gomen n-" he began quickly. Before his apology could be completed, he noticed   
exactly who he was speaking to. He visibly stiffened, then knelt before her in   
a formal bow. He gently lifted one hand and brought it to his lips in a brief   
kiss. It meant nothing, of course. Both were fully aware that it was merely a   
pretense.  
She smiled a little and allowed herself to relax. Seiya was clearly uneasy   
about the situation, which would help neither of them.   
"Would you like to step outside?" she offered. "It's a little too crowded for   
my tastes in here." He nodded gratefully, relief washing away his nervousness.   
She could understand completely. Kinmoku was still what it had once been and   
they depended heavily on the Neo-Silver Millennium's support. A single false   
move on his part could ruin his planet's economy.  
"So, how is Kakyuu-san?" she asked politely. It was an awkward beginning for a   
conversation, but she had to start somewhere. Seiya hesitated briefly before   
answering, his eyes clouded with worry.  
"She's pregnant," he said at last. Michiru murmured her congratulations. She   
had heard of the controversial marriage that Fighter and her princess had   
entered into. She had to admit that she felt slightly jealous though. A child,   
a child of her own, would be such a wonderful thing.  
"I don't know how it's all going to work out though," he confessed. "She hasn't   
been very strong lately and some of the doctors were actually suggesting an   
abortion until a few months ago. I shouldn't be so worried about it, it's just,   
I wish I could be there with her." Michiru looked at him with increased   
respect.  
"She'll manage. I've only met her a couple of times, but she doesn't seem to be   
the type who would give up easily." That produced a grin on Seiya's face.  
"Definitely not. She even wanted to come here. She said that a little thing   
like that was no excuse for not honoring someone who had helped her so much.  
Kakyuu's like that, you know. Maybe that's why I love her so much. She's more   
determined than people give her credit for, even a little stubborn, but she   
usually avoids conflicts. She's a lot like…Serenity in that way. I couldn't   
even dream of holding on the way they do, but they pull it off. Oh, gomen, I   
didn't mean to dump all of that on you. I can get a little sappy when she comes   
up in a conversation." Michiru chuckled quietly.  
"It's quite all right. I've thought of Haruka like that occasionally, but she's   
very different from Kakyuu-san or Usagi. She doesn't avoid conflicts very well,   
in fact, I think she attracts them."  
They both ceased talking after that, not because they were uncomfortable but   
simply because they had a lot to think about. Times were difficult for them,   
though for different reasons. As rulers of planets, they had a duty to think of   
that before their conversation  
They must have been there for some time, though neither really noticed. When   
she looked back on that moment in time in the next few weeks, Michiru realized   
that she shouldn't have permitted herself to lose track of the time like that.   
It was a careless error, one she could not afford.  
Michiru heard the muted sound of feet on one of the paths behind her. She   
didn't turn, but could feel someone coming towards her. When at last the   
footsteps ceased, she turned her head, her eyes looking upward. She realized   
what she would see, but knew no way of avoiding it.  
She had seen every emotion imaginable cross Haruka's face. She had seen guilt,   
torment, bliss, love and grief. This expression was one even she had rarely   
seen though; one which she had hoped never to see again. Haruka was hurt. For   
that brief moment, she looked almost childlike. Michiru often forgot just how   
vulnerable her partner really was.  
Michiru watched helplessly as Haruka struggled to regain her lost   
composure. Rage flared across her features, obscuring the pain she had shown   
only seconds before. Her eyes narrowed to cold slits as Seiya turned around to   
face her. She opened her mouth; her tone of voice lowered until it was barely   
audible.  
"Watch your step, gaijin." She didn't let her eyes meet Michiru's before   
she turned her back to them and strode off far too quickly. Michiru's first   
impulse was to run after her as quickly as she could, to explain that it really   
had been nothing. Her common sense told her that Haruka would not even hear a   
word she said in this mood. She needed a little time to resolve this on her   
own, to calm down before she was ready to talk about it.  
Seiya mumbled something, clearly embarrassed and excused himself. She let   
him leave, barely aware of his absence. Oh Haruka, please understand.   
* * * * *  
The princess sank backwards, for the first time allowing her weariness to   
show. She had never believed it possible to feel so exhausted until that point   
in time. Every limb in her body ached and her eyes begged for sleep.   
The results would be worth the price though. Anything would be worth it,   
as long as the Neo-Silver Millennium was overthrown somehow, as long as her   
people finally found a real home to go to…   
* * * * *  
Panic rose up in Ami's throat, choking the words in her mouth before they   
could emerge. Something catastrophic had just happened on her planet. She   
could feel the terror of the inhabitants and the planet itself screaming. The   
fear echoed in her mind triggering a similar reaction in her.  
She managed a weak smile at the diplomat she was talking to. She quickly   
said that she wasn't feeling well and excused herself.   
She could barely think straight. The thought of what could have happened   
kept flashing in her mind. Once she was outside, she paused and took a deep   
breath, trying to steady her frayed nerves. If she didn't think this through   
carefully, she could make a fatal mistake.   
She looked around to make sure that no one was watching her or was close   
enough to hear her. While her identity was no longer a secret, she knew that it   
might cause people to panic if they saw that the senshi were ready to fight.   
She raised her henshin pen above her head and whispered the phrase that would   
change her. She didn't know what she might encounter and she didn't want to go   
into battle in her cumbersome dress.   
She felt better once she had changed. She was more accustomed to being in   
this form than her civilian one. She never liked to admit it but this was a   
crucial part of her.  
She concentrated as she summoned enough power to create a teleport spell.   
The spell was a challenging one, even for her. Normally, she would have gone to   
a public portal but she did not have the time to find one.   
She reached into herself, into her source of power. From that source, she   
withdrew a thread of her energy, and cast it onto the ground. A glowing, blue   
circle formed around her feet. She focused on the main hall of her palace and   
vanished with her portal in a swirl of water.   
A minute later, she landed with a click on the marble floor. The entire   
palace was made of blue tile to give it an aquatic look that contrasted the   
barren surface of Mercury. Mercury stepped around the fountain and series of   
pools with statues that surrounded it. She typed in her access code on a panel   
embedded on the wall. A computer screen popped up displaying the status of   
everything in the castle.   
Mercury scanned through everything, making sure that it was all in order.   
The magic spells holding up the energy dome that contained their oxygen and   
maintained the temperature were fine. None of the water channels were clogged.   
The computer contained no reports of anything being wrong. Even the library was   
in order.  
Mercury wasn't fooled though. She knew that something was amiss. The   
castle was perfectly silent. She couldn't here a single dog bark or child   
laugh. It was deserted. Mercury tapped on the key panel, trying to figure out   
what had happened. There had to be an explanation.  
Suddenly, the computer screen filled with static. Someone had tampered   
with it earlier to prevent her from accessing everything. Her face paled. She   
knew what this was. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon though.   
She reached for her communicator watch. Her hand didn't move though. She   
tried to walk foreword, but found that her legs were trapped. She looked down   
in horror to see that most of her body was covered in blue crystal. She was   
completely helpless. She closed her eyes quietly as the rest of the crystal   
covered her. Please don't let the others suffer my fate, she prayed silently as   
she sank into unconsciousness.  
A sapphire tinted crystal in the shape of a flower floated out of her body   
and disappeared.   
Far away, on Nemesis, the princess smiled. She would make sure that the   
Mercurian queen never opened her eyes again.  
* * * * *  
Makoto-sama! Help me! a voice begged silently. Makoto felt her eyes   
widen in surprise. Before she had time to react, the emotions that accompanied   
the cry struck her. An overwhelming feeling of terror washed over the queen.   
She staggered slightly, unconsciously   
Dozens of people rushed over to her, asking if she needed any help getting   
up. She forced a smile and said cheerfully that she was fine. She insisted   
that she was a bit tired and said that she'd be fine after a walk. She hurried   
out of the uncertain mob while she still had a chance.  
Once outside, she ran through the various people strong enough to send a   
telepathic message from another planet-that's where she was certain the message   
was from. It had to be one of the stronger elementals living there. It also   
took a great deal of energy to send even a few words. If someone had bothered,   
it must be desperate.  
Already, Makoto could feel something wrong with her planet. She was   
surprised she hadn't noticed it before.   
She took a deep breath, remembering what one of her old martial arts   
teachers had told her. She had to focus to be able to defeat her enemy. She   
also should approach the situation with caution. Years of experience had taught   
her that. She lifted up her hand and summoned her henshin pen. She softly   
uttered the words that would change her into a senshi. She could fight well in   
any outfit, but she was used to this.   
She let energy collect in her hand for a moment. Then, she pointed to the   
ground below her. The stored power was channeled through her finger to the dirt   
below her. Green lightning shot out and formed a circle beneath her feet. She   
really shouldn't have attempted a teleport spell this strong without resting for   
a week or two to recover from the previous one. She was one of the stronger   
senshi, but she had enough common sense not to overestimate her abilities. She   
knew what her weaknesses and strengths were.  
She stepped through onto the teleport spell and vanished in a flash of   
energy. By the time she reached her castle, she was feeling exhausted. Her   
energy had already been depleted from traveling back and forth for several days.   
She looked around the castle, trying to get a sense of what was wrong.   
She could see no sign of whoever had sent the urgent call a little while ago.   
She resisted the urge to call out to someone. Normally, she acted on   
impulse, but she couldn't be careless now. Her enemy could be anywhere in this   
place.   
A knot of fear rose up in her throat. Everything was too perfect. The   
spells on the moon orbiting her planet where the castle was built were in   
perfect condition. The walls constructed of jade weren't even slightly cracked.   
Her palace was never in such perfect condition. She walked over to the vines   
covering the walls and put a hand on one of them. The vine eagerly wrapped   
around her hand. Something had caused it to wilt. It was a subtle change, but   
the energy that pulsed through the network of vines had been slightly drained.   
Jupiter closed her eyes, allowing her mind to be a part of the plants for   
a few moments. She could feel its distress. It was weakening.  
What happened here? she thought silently to the plant. The plants   
response came back in simple emotions. Their thought patterns were fairly   
primitive, but had developed from living around her. Something bad had   
happened, it didn't know what. There was lots of noise, bad noise. Now,   
something was taking its life force. It wasn't happy.  
Jupiter thanked it for the information, though it hadn't done much good.   
It had only confirmed the fact that something had happened here, which she had   
already been certain of. She let her mind wander through the life force of the   
vines, tracing the place that was taking energy. It was in the armory.   
She rushed down there, already feeling the strain of using too much of her   
power. Whatever it was, she wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.   
When she got there, she was surprised to find the crouched form of a tree   
spirit. She was clutching a vine in one of her pale green hands. She had to be   
one of the older ones, for her face was slightly lined with age.   
"Callisto!" Jupiter gasped. "What happened?" The spirit-Callisto-looked up at   
her with painful hope. She released the vine, much to the poor plants relief.   
"Makoto-sama! You must get out of here and warn the other senshi!" she cried   
frantically. "It's a trap for you!" Her eyes widened suddenly as a she froze   
in position. She glowed faintly green for an instant. A massive crystal   
solidified around her.  
Jupiter stared in shock at her own legs which had been imprisoned in a similar   
crystal. Damn! How could I not have seen this? Whoever was here set up a   
spell to trap anyone who landed on the planet!  
She let the antennae on her tiara rise up and gather electricity. She didn't   
have enough strength at the time for a powerful attack. She would have to use   
her weakest. It should be enough to shatter the crystal anyways.   
"Supreme Thunder!" she shouted. She slammed her free hand onto the crystal. It   
was futile though. The crystal didn't even crack. It grew over her face before   
she had time to do anything.  
A flower like emerald crystal appeared above the crystal that held her prisoner.   
It hovered for a moment over her limp body before vanishing.  
* * * * *  
Rei's psychic sense screamed at her that something was wrong. Her legs   
wobbled slightly, threatening to give way under her. She paused in the middle   
of the dance, trembling violently. Her partner paused and looked at her   
inquiringly.  
"Rei-san, daijobu?" the man questioned. Rei nodded, struggling to remain   
standing. Her head was throbbing and everything was spinning around her in a   
blaze of red. Whatever she had been foretelling had just happened.  
Inside her mind, she could hear the surface of her planet shrieking as a   
foreign magic invaded it. The people were suffering. All of the panic and   
agony that they felt was coursing through her body multiplied a hundred times by   
her own intuition.   
It was all she could do to remain there quietly shaking. If she cried   
out, who knew what would happen? She bit her lip until she could taste blood in   
her mouth.   
"Daijobu?" the man repeated more urgently. She forced the corners of her   
lips to curl into something she hoped passed for a smile. It probably resembled   
a snarl more closely, but it was not something she needed to worry about.   
"I'm…fine," she managed to say. She had to get away from here. She had   
to find out what had happened on her planet, before it was too late.  
"Rei-sama!" someone cried, close to hysterics. Rei looked over to see her   
newest apprentice winding her way through the crowd. "Rei-sama, Makoto-sama and   
Ami-sama have disappeared," she whispered.   
"Kotono-chan, they just went for a walk. They're fine. Be careful…not   
to…cause people to worry." With that, she went outside as quickly as her   
quivering body permitted. Once she was outside, she fell to the ground, gasping   
for air.   
The vague sense she had felt that something was wrong had suddenly gotten   
much, much stronger. She could feel the evil energy on her planet burning at   
her. With tremendous effort, she stood up. She held up one hand above her   
head. A small red pen materialized in her palm. Clasping it, she said the   
words which would transform her into someone ready to fight. A moment later,   
her senshi form emerged from a shower of fire.  
She raised her hand and summoned the power of her badly wounded planet. A ball   
of glowing red energy gathered in her hand. It wasn't as strong as it normally   
should have been though. The shock was weakening her.  
Focusing on her castle, she teleported in a blaze of red. A direct   
teleport was more dangerous than creating a gateway, but she didn't have time.   
She felt the energy of her planet around her. Her body wavered between   
the two places-Crystal Tokyo and the surface of her planet-for a moment. Just   
as she had begun to think that the spell had not been cast correctly, her high   
heels landed with a click on the floor of her palace.  
The palace was never cheerful, unlike some of the others. The place was   
always fairly dark with bon fires casting eerie shadows on the walls and   
pillars. Its appearance sent most people away, but not those who knew it well   
enough. The people of the planet were attracted to it like moths to a flame.   
Its warmth in the sheltered spell-dome drew them away from the freezing Martian   
surface.   
The castle had a strange charm in its own way. The elegant carvings on   
the stonewalls and the dances tongues of flame gave it a mystical appearance.   
Ornaments of various types of metal adorned the otherwise barren places.   
Long irrigation canals melted water from the enormous glaciers and   
channeled it to the castle. In the lower regions of the palace, smiths worked   
tirelessly in the sweltering forges. Though mysterious and not for many people,   
the castle was perfect for Rei. It was home. The tight knit community of   
priestesses; smiths and ordinary people all knew each other perfectly.   
Mars walked through the empty, silent castle without making a sound. She   
could still feel the danger, but something was preventing her from finding the   
source. Something was clouding her intuition.  
She walked over to the central fire and knelt before it. She whispered   
the chant that would bring her into the proper state of mind to conduct a fire   
reading. It was several minutes before she was into a trance. She concentrated   
all of her energy on the flickering fire, reaching out with her mind. She felt   
her awareness spread beyond her own body, stretching out through the castle.   
Her soul, united with the fire reached out to every corner of her home.   
She gazed quietly into the flames as she felt her mind expand. She could   
sense no one else here. There were people here, but they were in some sort of   
status. Something was wrong with them. Their minds were…closed.   
She pondered why this was, why their minds were different. She tried to   
find out through the fire, but it offered no answers. Suddenly, an image rose   
up in the flames and in her thoughts that almost caused her to lose her   
concentration. It was Yuuchirou. He was frozen in some sort of gigantic   
crystal. His face was twisted in agony and his mouth was open slightly as if he   
were attempting to say something. Beside him, her two advisors-Phobos and   
Deimos-were trapped in similar prisons. They had been halfway to their human   
state before the crystals had imprisoned them.  
"Yuuchirou!" she gasped. She had to know if he was all right. She tried   
to force the answer to come up in the fire, but the images had stopped. The   
fire crackled softly, as if in warning. It rapidly died down to a collection of   
glowing embers. It shouldn't have done that, and she knew it.   
She tried to stand up, but found herself unable to. Her legs were frozen   
in place in the same sort of prison that had captured Yuuchirou.  
"So, this is what it has come to," someone whispered from the corner. Rei   
turned her head to see who the speaker was. She was obviously female, but her   
face was hidden by the shadows.  
"Dare desu ka?" Mars demanded, her voice rising slightly in near panic.   
She couldn't see the figure's face, but she was certain that she smiled. She   
said nothing though.   
"Just tell me…tell me what you did with Yuuchirou!" she begged. She was   
approaching hysterics. The princess laughed coldly. She still offered no   
response.  
"For the love of Kami-sama, tell me what you've done with Yuuchirou!" she   
screamed. The princess stepped out of the shadows and into the fire's light.   
She was smiling. It was a bitter, empty expression though. It was as icy as   
the rest of her.  
With a shock, Mars realized that her enemy was no more than seventeen.   
How could this child have been twisted in this way?  
"Please!" she cried. The princess walked toward her, unmoved.  
"I want you to suffer, as I have suffered," she whispered. "I want you to   
know what it feels like to lose someone. In a few minutes, maybe even less,   
this crystal will cover you. You will remain in status for all eternity.   
Before you go though, I want you to feel my pain." The black crystal collar   
around her neck glowed an eerie purple color. With that said, she turned away   
from the helpless queen. She teleported effortlessly from the now empty world.  
"Yamete!" It was too late though. She was gone, leaving the Martian   
queen to her fate.  
"Yuuchirou." The words escaped her lips in her last breath as the crystal   
solidified over her. A flowerlike gem floated over her for a moment before   
disappearing as the other's had.  
* * * * *  
Minako paused for an instant on the dance floor. Her partner stared at   
her questioningly. This was not his first time dancing with her, so he knew all   
to well that being in a place like this, whether flirting, dancing or merely   
socializing, was where she felt most at home. She paraded flaunted her timeless   
beauty and charm as few did. Tonight, she was different though, her eyes had a   
vacant look to them, as though she was only partially there. Her movements had   
been almost flawless, but there was a robotic quality to them. Her usual   
cheerful bounciness was missing, leaving only a shadow of what she normally was   
like.   
"Is there something wrong?" he said softly. She didn't respond for a   
moment. She still wore the same distant expression. That concerned him more   
than anything. Few people ever gave Minako credit for being intelligent or   
alert, but she possessed both of those qualities. Years as a warrior had   
sharpened her senses to the point where she almost never missed something as   
obvious as this. After an uncomfortable few seconds, her head snapped up and   
her eyes returned to focus.   
"Gomen ne, what did you say?"   
"Did something happen to you? You're not yourself."  
"" She smiled lightly and tried to brush off his concern.   
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked.   
"Ara, I'll be fine on my own. I think this cramped palace is starting to   
get to me," she said with her usual jaunty wink. That was more like the Minako   
he knew. She was almost always cheerful and confident. There were times though   
where her face clouded over with memories of her own past. It seemed almost   
like she was two different people. She was usually the fun, pleasant girl that   
everyone loved. When things became difficult though, a noticeable change came   
about her. She became darker and more serious, the grim leader needed to   
command such a powerful force as the inner planetary senshi. Sometimes, he   
wondered what had happened to her in the past to make her this way. He would   
have loved to know, but it was not his place to ask.  
Minako excused herself and went outside. She knew her partner was   
probably just as aware as she was that she was far more comfortable in the   
spotlight of the dance floor than out alone. She soaked up attention like a   
sponge and practically lived in the spotlight. She adored the extra publicity   
she got from being queen, though missed the simplicity of fighting solo.  
Once in a while though, it did feel good to be on her own to collect her   
thoughts. She would have enjoyed a few minutes to herself.   
Her mind couldn't seem to quiet down though. For days now, she had had   
the vague feeling that something was wrong. She could never place it and always   
dismissed it. It had returned so often though that she had begun to wonder if   
it was important. She didn't have an intuition like Rei's, but she had good   
instincts and she trusted them. Being Sailor V had taught her that some times   
her instincts were the only things she could rely on.   
Without warning, Minako collapsed in the dirt, gasping for air. The   
danger that she had felt looming over her had suddenly increased dramatically.   
Her planet-Venus-was suffering. She could feel the cries of fear from the   
people echoing inside her skull. She could feel the planet itself shuddering in   
agony. Some foreign magic had invaded it.   
She pressed her hands to her throbbing temples in an effort to clear her   
head. She couldn't think straight though. The panic of her people would   
probably drive her mad. She couldn't think past the terror that they were all   
experiencing.  
She took in a deep breath and let it out, focusing her energies as Artemis   
had taught her so long ago. Gradually, the blind fear subsided and her more   
rational side took control of her mind.   
She might have to fight. With this in mind, she pulled out her henshin   
pen and transformed in a flash of golden light. It was always best to be   
prepared. The outfit she had been wearing would only have gotten in the way.  
With that taken care of, she raised her hand and allowed the energy of her   
planet to flow through her. She let it build up for a moment before casting it   
on to the ground. It formed a small circle around her body. She closed her   
eyes and exited through her crude portal, closing it behind her. The spell she   
had used lacked polish, but would serve her need right now.   
Only seconds later, she landed in the main entrance of Magellan Castle.   
The entrance looked as cheerful as ever. It was a combination of white marble   
and gold vines with roses on them that climbed up the pillars. It was   
somehow…empty now though.  
The usual sounds of people laughing and running about were missing. She   
walked along cautiously, feeling like a stranger in her own castle. Her high   
heels clicked eerily on the marble floor. There was no other sound. None.  
"Is anyone here?" Venus called out. Her own voice echoed back from all   
corners of the room. There was no response though. Venus looked around   
apprehensively. Something drastic had happened here.   
She continued to walk through the hallways, though no one was there.   
There were dozens of mirrors lining the corridors, so she should have seen   
someone at least. The castle seemed to be deserted though.  
Venus walked over to a window over looking the garden and sat down,   
feeling more afraid by the second. If she could see an enemy, she could deal   
with it. This silence though was worse. She couldn't fight it and she couldn't   
find out what had happened. All she could do was wait until whatever it was   
made itself known, or she heard from one of the people.  
Had the dome that shielded them from the harsh temperatures of her planet   
weakened for a moment? It was possible. All of the people would have evacuated   
under such circumstances, explaining their absence. Her instincts told her that   
that was not the case though. She knew somehow that whatever had happened had   
been worse than that. Besides, if the shield had weakened temporarily, the   
plants would be dead.  
She looked out through the window at the magnificent garden below. It was   
primarily roses of various colors, though she had added in plenty of other   
flowers for variety. The garden was patterned around a series of pools and   
fountains of Mercurial design. Actually, she had designed not all of the   
castle. The people of Mars had donated the metal and the people of Jupiter had   
helped with the gardens.  
In the distance, just beyond the massive dome, storm clouds gathered. The   
sky of Venus had turned a poisonous shade of yellow as it usually did during   
storms. That was nothing unusual though, not enough to cause an entire   
population to flee.   
Venus decided to continue her search to see if there was anyone left here.   
She needed to at least feel like she was doing something productive. Just   
sitting here would drive her crazy. She tried to stand up, but found that she   
was frozen in place. She looked down in horror to see that a massive golden   
crystal had formed over here legs and one arm. It was slowly climbing up her   
shoulder to engulf her completely.  
Venus turned her head to see a woman standing in the shadow of one of the   
pillars. Her hair was tied up in two pointed odangoes and fell down almost to   
her feet. Venus's eyes widened in horror. The silhouette of the person   
strongly resembled…  
"Black Lady?" she gasped. The person stepped out of the shadows,   
revealing their face. Her face was hardened and had a cynical look to it that   
Venus could never remember Black Lady having before. Her eyes were familiar to   
the senshi though. They were cold, brutal and utterly merciless. The second   
you saw them; you could feel the wrongness in them. You could tell that they   
were things that never belonged in this world.  
"Why did you do this? What happened to everyone?" Venus demanded. The   
girl sneered at her.  
"It would not help me if I told you."   
"Dare desu ka?!" Venus yelled. She pointed her finger at the intruder.  
"Crescent Beam!" The attack was easily blocked.   
"Those crystals have a dampening effect, you know. Not that anything you   
can do would be strong enough to hurt me, but I had to take precautions."  
"How can you do this?!" The princess watched her calmly, her collar   
glowing faintly.   
"I could ask the very same question of you. How could you condemn an   
entire race to certain death? You never considered the consequences, did you?   
You never thought that we might come back."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, or you should." Venus   
struggled to get out of the crystal which now covered everything but her head.   
She wanted to strike at the invader, but knew she couldn't. There was nothing   
she could do to prevent her fate. She closed her eyes and waited for it to   
come. A few seconds later, the crystal engulfed her and a flower-like gem   
floated out of the frozen body.   
The princess walked towards her and ran her fingers over the smooth   
surface of the senshi's coffin. If removed from it, her body would deteriorate   
almost instantly. She had the starseed and the pure heart. She would let her   
and the others stay like this though, to show the queen their fate. She would   
reserve something much worse for the queen herself though. Much worse.  
Her eyes and collar flashed dangerously before she teleported. It   
wouldn't be long now…  
* * * * *  
The princess stood before the bodies of four of her servants. They were   
unconscious at the time, as that would make the transfer less painful. They had   
volunteered for whatever fate came to them.   
Each one had a nearly perfect psychological profile for what they were   
needed for. Each one had ambition and a firm degree of control over their   
powers.   
The first one-Peridot-had short, wavy green hair. She was small compared   
to most people and didn't appear to be terribly athletic. She had a strong will   
to gain power though and had somehow managed to survive this long in the   
cutthroat society of Nemesis, which said a lot. Anyone who did survive had to   
possess some sort of ability. Peridot's was cunning. Though not powerful, she   
was a backstabber and had been able to destroy a number of very capable   
officials to get to the top. The princess let the blue Starcrystal of Mercury   
float down to reside on her chest.  
The next one-Jade-was considerably taller than Peridot. He also appeared   
to be a lot stronger. His wavy coal-black hair went down to his shoulders. He   
looked like he would have no trouble surviving. He was tough and could best   
most people in physical combat at least. His other skill was manipulation,   
though he used magic to aid that. To a certain degree, he could control   
people's minds and force information out of them. He could even cause them to   
do what he wanted, some of the time. At the time though, he didn't have much   
offensive magic. That would soon be remedied. She considered her selection.   
After a moment, she chose the strongest one for him-Jupiter. He would use her   
strengths well. She let the crystal float down onto his chest.  
The third one was named Heliotrope. He had short cropped, straight blonde   
hair. He wasn't overly strong or tall, but he was by far one of the more   
intelligent. The princess found that she had a strong dislike for him, but that   
didn't really matter. What mattered was the way that he could use almost anyone   
he encountered. He had supposedly been in brief relationships with several   
girls for a while, leaving them utterly devoted to him. He was in the inner   
circle of Nemisisian politics and made good use of that fact. She chose Venus   
for him.   
The final chosen one was Tanzanite. She had waist length scarlet hair   
that she kept tied back in a tight braid. She was the only one of the quartet   
that had gotten to this position the regular way. While the others had lied,   
cheated, and killed their way here, she hadn't. She had been the top of her   
group in every training exercise she had ever been in. She was fairly athletic   
and skilled with a number of weapons. She also was excellent in the use of   
magic. The one potential problem that she could see was that she still had some   
sense of ethics left and appeared not to have absolute control over her   
emotions. That could be difficult. She gave her the Starcrystal of Mars. It   
would suit her.  
The princess took several steps back from all of them. She didn't like   
what she was about to do. It was an ancient spell, one which most people would   
stay far away from. She had heard that the royal family had either destroyed   
their copies of it or hidden them. She wasn't surprised. They were often   
weak when it came to such things.   
The spell was forbidden by most people. It was the height of black magic   
and something that few would ever do. She was one of those few. She despised   
using it, but she had to. She would sacrifice anything for the sake of her   
people. This would help them. She had no choice.  
She said the cursed words as she walked around the four people. They were   
practically corpses at this point. Their bodies had been put into status for   
the time being.  
Reaching deep inside of herself, she called on all the energy she had.   
She channeled that dark power through her into the spell she was forming. The   
four crystals began to glow brightly. There was no turning back now.   
She sent a stream of her own energy at them, sealing the crystals to the   
four bodies lying down. A cyclone of raw power swirled around her in the   
circle she had paced out. The crystals seemed to hesitate. After a few seconds   
though, they dissolved, melting into the four people. The bodies flashed   
briefly.  
Four pairs of eyes shot wide open. Their faces were drenched in sweat and   
they were all gasping wildly for air. All of a sudden, they screamed   
simultaneously out of pure agony. Their cry echoed throughout the entire   
galaxy. Sailor Pluto collapsed, Galaxia cried out, even Serenity screamed with   
sudden pain. Every single senshi cried out in horror, not knowing why.   
The four figures were knocked out from the shock. Even in their sleep   
though, their faces were twisted with anguish.  
The princess wobbled slightly on her unsteady legs. She slammed into the   
floor, exhausted. Within seconds, she too was asleep.  
* * * * *   
Haruka ran blindly into the night. She didn't bother to consider what   
some people might think if they saw her, a senshi, running away from the castle.   
She didn't care at the moment. What they thought was irrelevant.   
She had to get away from everything. She didn't care what the   
consequences were, she had to. She looked back and saw the castle, still   
looming over her. She put on an extra burst of speed to gain some distance.   
She had no destination, nothing to run to, only something to run from. She just   
wanted to get away from it all.   
That had been what she had wanted a long time ago, to get away. She   
wasn't sure if she had really understood it at the time, but she had felt the   
need to run away from something that was following her. She was constantly   
finding new ways to go faster, as if she could outrun her own destiny. Things   
hadn't seemed to bad then, not to her anyways. She depended on herself, no one   
else. Many would have been lonely without any family members she was still   
really connected to or friends she really knew, but it had suited her.   
In a way, she had just been lying to herself. Somehow, in her   
subconscious she had known that she could never stay that way. Some part of her   
she was unable to eliminate longed for companionship. With the same unyielding   
stubbornness that she used all of the time, she pushed these traitorous thoughts   
to the back of her mind. She told herself that this was the life she wanted.   
She had success, money, and fame, everything many would have killed for. What   
reason did she have to be miserable?  
When she started getting the dreams though, it became harder to ignore. Her   
discontentment grew by the day until it was insufferable. She started pushing   
herself even harder, going at speeds few would have dared. She started to   
emerge at the top of the racing circuit and cut everything else out. It became   
her world. Everything else paled in comparison to it. She still wasn't really   
happy though. There was something missing which she could never find.   
Over the next few months, the dreams had become more intense. She also   
began to see the same person appearing in them. They even started to affect her   
daily. She lost sleep for fear of seeing that same scene again. Her grades   
didn't drop by much and she still managed to win virtually every race she   
competed in, but she was definitely not doing as well as before. She found that   
she couldn't concentrate on most things. Her mind just kept repeating that   
scene, drawing her away from the life she had worked so hard to achieve.  
She started putting more of her energies into car racing. Everything else   
was just a way of killing time. The number of races she was winning soared, but   
she knew that in the long run, she was losing.  
When she saw Kaioh Michiru, she had been terrified. At first, she thought   
it must have been some sort of coincidence that this girl resembled the figure   
in her dreams. When she said that she could hear the wind in the trees though,   
and when she looked at her like that, she knew it was no coincidence. A cruel   
twist of fate, or something like it, had brought this girl into her life.   
Over the next few weeks, she struggled to avoid Kaioh Michiru. It became   
a near obsession to get away from this personification of her own destiny. The   
more she tried to stay away from her though, the more she seemed to encounter   
her. Sometimes she wondered who was responsible for the times they met. Was it   
fate, careful planning on Michiru's part, or had she unconsciously tried to run   
into the aqua haired girl? Though she told herself firmly that she wanted   
nothing to do with Michiru, she couldn't help but feel attracted to her.   
Several long weeks after their first meeting, she once again stumbled into   
Michiru, this time on a cruise ship.   
It wasn't long before that fateful day in the garage. She remembered   
every detail, the vague stink of oil, the jumble of paint cans on the shelves.   
She had just been about to check if her car was fixed yet. There had been a   
small boy, crying. She could still see every detail on his face perfectly.   
When she had gone over to help though, he had changed. Some demon had risen out   
of his body. She had tried to fight it of course, though she had no chance. No   
ordinary human would ever be able to stop something like that.  
Moments later, though it felt like hours, her pen appeared in the air. It   
glowed almost seductively, drawing her closer. It was a promise, a promise that   
she could have what she had always known she had been missing. With trembling   
fingers, she had reached out to grab it, unaware of what she was doing.  
Ironically, Michiru had gotten her out of the trance. She had begged her   
not to take it. It wasn't really Michiru's words that had awakened her. It was   
the bitterness in her voice. She was speaking of what she'd lost. Haruka's   
hand had shot back and she had turned to Michiru, wondering why she had done   
that.  
Michiru had transformed and fought against the monster for her sake. She   
hadn't faltered, despite her wounds. She had struggled against it. Why? For   
Haruka, that was why. When she had fallen, shielding her and dropped into   
Haruka's arms, Haruka knew what the emotion she had been feeling lately was.   
She loved her. There had been no choice left for her. She couldn't let Michiru   
fight alone. She grabbed the henshin pen at that time and transformed. Once   
that was done, there was no going back.   
Over the next few months, they'd grown closer to each other than they had   
ever dreamed. They had never been able to come close to anyone else though.   
They severed any ties they had with other people, they couldn't afford them.   
Ruthlessly, they both shattered the lives they had worked so hard to gain. They   
couldn't afford those either. All of that was all right though because they had   
each other.  
Haruka had thought they always would. Now though, she wasn't so sure.   
This was the second time that she had seen Michiru with Seiya, and she was   
beginning to worry about it. If she didn't have Michiru, she had no one.  
So Haruka ran as she once had, trying to escape everything. When her   
lungs felt as though they were about to burst and her legs weakened, she   
collapsed on the dirt, gasping. She lay there under the stars for a while, she   
wasn't sure how long, regaining her breath and thinking. When she had   
recovered, she stood up and started walking. Running for that long had taxed   
even her stamina.   
Only one thought was left in her mind, she had to find Michiru. She knew   
where she was. Deep inside, she knew where to find her.  
* * * * *  
The princess awoke, still feeling barely alive. The spell had required   
more power than she had thought. She had also been casting too much recently.   
She had to coordinate her attack perfectly in order to catch the senshi by   
surprise. This didn't allow much time for her to rest though.  
She hauled herself up and walked into her small chamber. It wasn't much   
of a home, especially for a leader. The only indications that she was more than   
a commoner were a few furnishings like a rug, some curtains and a bench in the   
corner. Even the bed wasn't very elaborate.  
The place had once belonged to Diamondo though, and that made it royal   
enough for her. Anything he considered fit was certainly above most standards.  
She would have liked to rest, but she didn't have the luxury of that time.   
If this invasion went wrong, most of the people on this planet could end up   
dead, a fate they shouldn't have to suffer.   
She put a hand to her collar, worried. It was almost burningly hot. It   
hadn't done that too much before now, but it seemed to be more active lately.   
She put a hand to her head and went over to the small scrying mirror she   
kept. She needed to select her next target and destroy them before the senshi   
realized what had happened and attempted to retaliate. If she planned   
this right, she should have the entire Crystal Tokyo down in a few days.  
After several minutes of observation, she found one. She was standing alone,  
the surf breaking against her in the night. The princess smiled. It had been  
a mistake for this one to leave the safety of the palace...  
* * * * *   
As her partner had expected, Michiru had gone to the ocean. It was her place  
of refuge. Just as Haruka turned to the wind whipping by her to find strength, Michiru  
turned to the surging waves of the sea.  
Haruka suppressed the desire to run to her lover and ask her what was troubling   
her. If Michiru wanted solitude, it was a good sign that she needed it. So she  
let her lover remain there, standing up to her waist in the water, gazing at the horizon.  
Haruka felt a small pang in her heart as she thought of the evenings events and of  
the fact that Michiru had gone to be alone. There was a time when instead of going to the  
ocean, Michiru would have gone her her.  
* * * * *  
Michiru let herself fall foreword into the waves, feeling the water cover   
her. The stars in the sky seemed to die out as she submerged herself   
completely. The water seemed to dance around her, welcoming their sister back.  
Yes, this was who she was. She was a part of this. She let the oxygen   
seep out of her lungs and water replace it. She sank deeper into the laughing,   
joyful waves, feeling her own body weaken. She wouldn't need that shell. She   
was beyond that. She was the ocean.  
The current reached for her and began to drag her out into the abyss of   
the water that she loved. Her legs kicked weakly out of impulse. The tide   
ignored it. She was a part of this, not some human. She could feel the shell   
she had inhabited for so long slowly dying. It had no more air to feed off of   
and couldn't survive in these conditions. She would soon leave it.  
She laughed in joy with her sisters. She could be one of them again. She   
crowed with glee as the body sank down towards the ocean bed, where it would   
rest eternally. She would be free.  
She felt something tugging at the corner of her human mind, wanting to   
pull her back. She saw herself with another human, holding hands. The other   
human's eyes were slightly widened in surprise. She knew that the scene had   
held some meaning for her at some point. It was important.   
It was nothing to her now though. Now, she would finally be a part of the   
sea, forever.  
* * * * *   
Haruka watched Michiru sink beneath the surface of the water with a   
growing unease. Michiru was a strong swimmer, she should have no problems.   
Haruka knew that she shouldn't be so concerned about her, but something was   
wrong. She had stayed down too long. She should have come back up by now.  
Haruka suddenly realized it: she was drowning. It didn't seem possible,   
but she was drowning. Why though? It couldn't have been an accident, not with   
her. Suicide didn't seem likely either.  
Haruka didn't really care though at this point. A rush of adrenaline gave   
her the extra strength she needed. She sprinted down towards the sea with all   
of the speed she had. All other thoughts were driven from her mind. All that   
mattered right then was saving Michiru.  
She plunged into the icy water as quickly as possible, not stopping to   
think. Once submerged in it though, she realized that it was far colder than   
she had anticipated. Even with her increased senshi capabilities, she would   
only last about ten minutes. She forced her eyes to open in the water. The   
water burned at her eyes and she couldn't see a thing though.  
She dove down blindly trying to find the body-she prayed it wasn't a   
corpse by then-that was down there somewhere. She was a fairly strong swimmer-  
though she could never catch Michiru-but she was finding that she had to exert   
all of her energy into swimming not to get dragged out.  
She wondered if the ocean was always this way. It hadn't seemed terribly   
violent before. Finally, she had to come up for air. Her well-trained lungs   
felt like they were going to explode and she was beginning to feel disoriented.   
She fought her way up to the surface with her weakened limbs and attempted to   
get another breath. A wave washed over her two quickly though and she found   
herself sucking in salt water. Gasping and choking, she struggled to get up   
again. She couldn't hold on much longer. The ocean itself seemed to be   
dragging her down though. The current dragged her down constantly.  
She finally managed to get up a second time and gulp down a quick breath   
of air. It had cost her too much time though. Michiru could have died in that   
time.   
* * * * *   
It was almost a corpse by now, she reflected gleefully. The ocean had   
been cold tonight, too cold for the weak human shell to live. She helped the   
current and pressed the feeble part of herself down into the icy sands at the   
bottom. It would make a good meal for all of the creatures swimming inside her.   
The sands added weight to it, pulling it even deeper under the layers of grit.   
Not much longer, not much longer…she would be free from that shell. She   
could join the rest of the sea, becoming something even stronger.  
The human's lips were a pale shade of blue. Its face was a spectral   
white. Hypothermia was finally overcoming it. Feebly, it reached up with one   
gloved hand toward something. It was a bizarre reaction, almost a compulsion.  
She snapped free of the shell, pulling out towards the ocean, trying   
desperately to get away. The ocean helped her, trying to get her to break free.   
What was that shape up above her though. She could sense another human's   
presence. What were they doing.  
She realized suddenly that they meant to drag the almost lifeless body   
back to the surface, and take her with it. No! She couldn't return to that   
prison! She was free! Free.  
The human seemed to be very strong. It was still alive. If that was the   
case, then her corpse could accompany the other one on the ocean floor. She   
would enjoy watching the flesh rot off their skeletons.   
Die…  
* * * * *  
Haruka could already feel her limbs growing numb and limp as she dove down   
for a fourth time. She couldn't see a thing. The worst though was that she   
couldn't see Michiru. Her worst thoughts began to catch up with her already   
dying, freezing mind. It was almost impossible for her to have survived this   
long…  
She let herself sink down to the bottom. Frantically, she searched around   
blindly. No sign of Michiru. She struggled to get up again for air. The tide   
slammed her down into the sand though.   
This time, she couldn't get up. Her arms and legs were almost completely   
numb and she could barely move them. The sand began to wash over her, burying   
her alive. She wanted to scream out to someone to drag her from her watery   
grave, but no one would hear. There was no one to scream to.   
Beneath her, she touched something that was still slightly warm. She   
turned down to look at it. The salt seared her eyes, but she still opened them   
and looked. She saw a touch of white in her distorted, blurred vision. It was   
a hand, reaching up from the filth it was buried in.  
That was all she needed to see. She grabbed the hand, feeling some life   
come back into her muscles. She slammed one of her boots into the sand and   
kicked off with it, sending her floating upward with Michiru dragging limply   
behind.   
The world blurred around her into a mess of light and dark. No way   
out…have to…have to save Michiru…where? Where is the castle?  
A part of her was already aware that she wasn't thinking clearly, that   
hypothermia was beginning to take effect. She couldn't seem to snap out of her   
disoriented state, even though she was aware she was losing precious time trying   
to think which direction to go.  
After an eternity, she saw a faint glimmer in one direction. The moon…It   
had been her guiding light for all of those years, ironic that it was all that   
could save her now. With the last of her energy, she swam against the brutal   
ocean currents towards it.  
The ocean's strong current suddenly stopped. A giant wave reared up and   
tossed them onto the beach. Haruka lay there, barely moving for a moment as she   
sucked in the much-needed air around her.   
"Michiru, daijobu?" There was no response. She was completely limp.   
Haruka's salt-stung eyes widened in horror. It couldn't be…  
"Michiru!" she cried. There was an edge of panic to her voice now.   
Michiru stirred slightly and opened her eyes though without too much of a delay.   
There was something wrong with her eyes though. The blue of her eyes had   
swallowed up the pupil and the outer rim. She looked at her blankly, not   
recognizing her.  
"Why did you pull me back? You are not a human, you are the wind…" Her   
eyes transformed, reverting to their original form. Her body began to quiver   
and she grabbed on to Haruka as if her life depended on it. She didn't say   
anything for a few minutes, she just sat there shivering.   
Haruka wasn't worried about the fact that she could have hypothermia. As   
a senshi, she would recover from such things far more quickly than any normal   
human. Their immune system was incredibly strong. In a little while, she would   
be fine. What frightened Haruka was the fact that Michiru was scared. After   
what they had been through, very little ever really got to them.   
"Don't worry," she said softly. "I won't let you go." It was one of the   
few times that she realized just how fragile Michiru could be. She held so much   
life in her small frame. It didn't seem possible. Physically, she was far   
superior to most humans. Even emotionally she was more capable of handling   
things.  
There were times though, brief moments where a haunted, despairing look   
seemed to cross her face. Haruka was well aware that she had born that   
expression too. Perhaps it was just a result of what they had been through.   
Michiru always seemed so sure of herself though, like she was invulnerable to   
depression, though she knew that was not the case.  
"Ai shiteru." Michiru didn't reply. She simply sat there shivering   
either out of cold or fear-for once in her life, Haruka wasn't sure-staring up   
at the sky.  
"She's here," she said quietly. Michiru stated it with absolute   
conviction and sincerity in her voice.  
"Who?" Michiru continued to stare upwards into the star flecked sky.  
"I don't know. I felt her presence for a split second there. I should   
have been a little more wary, but I was too surprised." She shivered again,   
something abnormal for her. "I've never experience anything like that. I was   
there but…I wasn't the person you know. I was actually a part of the ocean. I   
had no real identity." Neither said anything for a few minutes. She just   
remained there recovering, still clinging to each other. "Our peace has ended,"   
she said abruptly, shattering the uncanny silence. There were so few times   
where Neptune sounded bitter, but this was one of them.  
* * * * *  
"Damn," the princess hissed, her voice so low as to barely be audible. She   
had been close, very close. Another minute or two and Neptune would have been gone  
completely. It would have made matters far more simple for her in the future.   
She couldn't help but feel slightly sick at the thought. A few months ago and  
she would not have considered killing someone, not like this. The idea of setting   
traps that her foes could not possibly defend themselves against would not have appealed   
to her. Times were desperate though, people were desperate.   
I was so naive, she thought to herself. Believing that everything could be solved  
without the lose of life. How stupid...  
She felt a bit of remorse at that last thought, that she had grown so cynicle in so  
little time, but she pushed it away. There was no time to lose, no time to let her grow up  
as she pleased. They needed a leader, one more mature and strong then the child she had been.  
If gaining that leader meant the sacrifice of the child, that was what would happen.   
* * * * *  
It was late by the time that the couple finally went back to the castle.   
Neither said a word. A sense of growing dread had come over both of them. They   
weren't quite sure what they would find when they got back. Haruka had known   
Michiru long enough to be pretty sure that she was accurate when she said   
someone had just invaded the solar system. She knew perfectly well that her   
battle-hardened intuition would be able to find something like that.  
To Haruka's relief, the castle appeared to be fine when she got back. The   
lights were still on and even from a good distance, she could hear music playing   
faintly in the background. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but she   
had almost anticipated the place to be burned down or to have had something   
equally disastrous happen to it.  
They decided to head for the side entrance. Whenever they showed up,   
people always seemed to follow them wanting a better view. They would certainly   
scare people if they showed up like this. Two wet, bedraggled, haggard senshi   
coming in on the queen's anniversary was hardly an ordinary event. It would   
start quite a few rumors, especially with them. Michiru was still leaning   
heavily on her shoulder and she felt like a wreck.  
Her foot bumped into something as she walked along. At first, she thought   
it was just a rock or some random piece of junk. She was bound to trip over   
things in her fatigued state. She almost dismissed it as nothing.   
Out of some bizarre compulsion, she looked back though. It was definitely   
not a rock. It was fairly large and curled up on the ground. Haruka walked   
back to examine it, dragging Michiru with her.   
As she came closer to the object, a sickening sense filled her. She it   
wasn't an object, it was a person wearing black. Who ever they were, they   
couldn't be in very good shape, provided they were still alive.  
Michiru bent down and rolled the person over to see who they were, or had   
been. Haruka's worst fear had been fulfilled. Hotaru was lying there in the   
dirt. Her face was a ghostly, surreal shade of white and her frail figure was   
caked with dried blood. Her breathing came in rough, ragged gasps that hurt   
Haruka almost as much as her.  
Her purple eyes cracked open. Through those two tiny slits, she saw her   
parents.  
"Haruka? Michiru?" she whispered. A tiny stream of red liquid trickled   
out of the corner of her mouth. Her words triggered a brief coughing spasm.   
Haruka could only stand there helplessly, watching as her own child shuddered in   
anguish.  
Her narrowed eyes closed weakly. Michiru quickly bent down and checked   
her pulse. It was there, but it was a weak one. Neither one of them said a   
word as they looked at her. Haruka picked her up, cradling her like a newborn   
child. Together, they continued walking towards the palace.  
* * * * *  
"She's bleeding internally," Michiru said grimly. Even she had to fight   
back some tears looking at the mangled body that was her child. They had gotten   
most of the blood off of her and bandaged her wounds. There was no way they   
could help her inside though.   
She checked her pulse for the thousandth time. It was still far two   
erratic. Her heartbeats were merely twitches of the skin and they didn't seem   
to follow any sort of pattern. It was all right though as long as her heart was   
still beating. What she was afraid of was that she would put her hand over her   
wrist, and feel nothing but cold beneath her fingers. She tried to brush away   
the thought, but it was impossible.   
"Michiru?" she mumbled. The word was barely comprehensible. Michiru   
noticed instantly though.  
"What is it?" she asked. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.  
"Where is Chibi-Usa-chan? I-I know that…" Another set of hacking coughs   
racked her body and more blood gushed up from her open mouth. Michiru waited   
patiently, unable to do anything for her. "She's probably too busy as a   
princess….but, could you find her for me? I kind of wish that she could be one   
of the last faces for me to see." Michiru felt slightly sick. She couldn't   
lose Hotaru, not after all this time.  
Haruka appeared behind her. She had changed back to her civilian form and   
was wearing a lose blouse, one of her gold earrings and a pair of black pants.   
It was formal enough to at least pass.  
"I'll find her," she said. Michiru looked up to her gratefully.   
* * * * *   
Chibi-Usa yawned loudly. It was almost one in the morning and she was   
exhausted. She'd left the ballroom a little while ago after being pestered by   
so many people. It was annoying. She was now in the library reading a book and   
watching the other people dance. She couldn't help but be a little depressed   
while watching them. They managed to be so graceful and look perfect, two   
things she felt she could never do.  
Something was wrong though. Her mind kept drifting back to that thought.   
It was that way when the Dead Moon invaded earth those many years ago. As the   
sun had slowly dwindled to a crescent, then vanished, she had felt a sense of   
growing dread. She knew that something was coming, though she had no idea what.  
She shook her head and smiled a little, attempting to clear her mind of   
such dismal thoughts. She was probably half asleep and already having   
nightmares.  
"Ara, Small Lady, I didn't see you there," someone said. Chibi-Usa   
visibly sank a little at the comment, though she knew it wasn't intended to be   
harsh. She carefully kept her face blank, trying not to recall that remark.   
Some of the other people had been harsher than usual that day. It wasn't   
anything she couldn't put up with though.   
"Hi," she said cheerfully. She carefully monitored her voice so that none   
of the hurt she felt would show. She was out of practice from hiding her   
emotions. In the twentieth century, she almost never had any need to. The   
other senshi just assumed her petite size was the fact that she hadn't had a   
growth spurt in a while. She had never bothered to mention that it had been   
several centuries.  
She turned to her mother and saw that she was nervous. She was reading a   
book but she was constantly looking up as if she expected someone to jump out at   
her. She fidgeted consistently, a habit that Chibi-Usa thought she had   
abandoned years ago. Her normally placid blue eyes were fairly wide and she was   
biting her lip.   
Chibi-Usa smiled as encouragingly as possible, attempting to cheer her up.  
"That party was really great! I don't know how you planned it!" Neo-  
Queen Serenity looked as if she hadn't heard her at all. Her eyes were focused   
on something else.  
"Queen?" some court official said timidly. She looked up, startled. She   
composed herself quickly, but her hands were still trembling.  
"Nan desu ka?" she whispered.   
"The senshi all appear to be missing, they have been for some time.   
Saturn was said to be absent several hours ago. The inners all left at around   
the same time and Uranus and Neptune have been reported missing for about half   
an hour."  
"They're quite capable of taking care of themselves," she insisted. The   
officer hesitated for a minute before speaking again. He pulled out a tattered   
piece of black fabric that was stained with blood.  
"This was Hotaru-sama's dress and further testing revealed that the blood   
is also hers."  
"Arigato. That will be all," she said firmly. The advisor hesitated,   
then left.   
"I had feared that this would happen. There is nothing that I can do to   
help them though," she said sadly. Chibi-Usa knew that she was being spoken to,   
but the queen did not look in her direction. She stared out in to space, her   
forehead furrowed with worry.  
"What's going to happen?" Chibi-Usa asked. She didn't want to know the   
answer. She felt obligated to ask it though. If she was a member of the royal   
family, she should be aware of what happened.  
"Everything that we know and love may change," the queen said. Her voice   
bore the weight of years of tragedy. It was hard to believe that she had once   
been Usagi. "For several months now, our astronomers on the farther, outer   
planets have been monitoring Nemesis. There appeared to be no change, until one   
day it vanished. I suspected an attack, but wasn't quit sure. I think the   
other senshi had begun to get the same feeling of unease, but no one said a word   
about it as the planet vanished just yesterday at midnight, earth time. The   
energy build up I felt a little while ago was unmistakable. They've already   
struck. I don't know how many planets they've hit, but they've almost certainly   
inflicted severe damage. I will need to raise the shield over the city. Last   
time, Minako-tachi did it but…this time, I must try alone. In several hours,   
anyone who is outside of the shield will be unable to return and potentially be   
killed." Her voice wavered slightly for the first time. "I-I can't let   
anything happen to the others! As the queen though, I must protect the   
inhabitants. I have warned the rest of the planet, but there is nothing else   
that I can do for them."  
Chibi-Usa looked at her in shock. One issue that Usagi had always stood   
firmly on was the fact that everyone must be protected. Now, even she was   
forced to make sacrifices? There was no way for her to avoid it? Chibi-Usa   
jumped up. She knew she was being irrational, but the thought of one of her few   
friends trapped outside of the shelter and facing certain death or torture was   
too much for her. She knew just how strong the people of Nemesis were. She   
knew what their grief was like.  
"We'll wait for them! We'll wait until everyone's here until we raise the   
shield!" Her mother smiled at her, sadly. There was no bitterness in her   
expression though.   
"I'll wait as long as I can before I raise the shield, Small Lady. There   
is nothing else that I can do though. I-I'm sure they'll show up."  
"Small Lady," a familiar voice said. Chibi-Usa turned around joyfully to   
see Haruka leaning against the doorframe. She was wearing casual clothing,   
bearing evidence to the fact that she hadn't been at the ceremony very long.   
The only jewelry she had bothered to put on was her small, gold hoop earring and   
a matching necklace made out of a thin chain. There was also a ring on her   
finger, but she always wore that. The other thing that Chibi-Usa noticed about   
her was that her close-cropped blonde hair was still slightly wet.   
Neo-Queen Serenity looked like she might collapse with relief.   
"Haruka-san! Do you know where the others are?" Despite the fact that   
she and Haruka knew each other very well at this point, and the fact that she   
was far above the other's position, she still insisted on using the respectful   
suffix. She said that there was no way she could ever think of Haruka as   
someone to look down on.  
"Michiru and Hotaru are with me." As usual, there was barely a hint of   
emotion in her voice. It was low and calm, not betraying her emotions like the queen's.   
"And the inners?" Neo-Queen Serenity queried. Haruka shook her head   
grimly.  
"No sign of them. I wouldn't bother sending out search parties though.   
Hotaru was badly injured." She paused. "Michiru has proof that something has   
just invaded us. It's strong enough to be a threat." She said nothing else.   
"I see." Haruka's eyes flashed angrily, but she said didn't reply.  
"Chibi-Usa-chan, come with me. There's someone who wishes to see you."   
Chibi-Usa looked up at her, a little surprised. Haruka rarely wanted to have   
much to do with her. She tolerated her and helped protect her. That was the   
extent of it though. "Are you just going to sit there?" she snapped. The princess  
hurriedly got up and left with her, feeling slightly embarrassed and also afraid.  
* * * * *   
Haruka walked off with the little princess trailing her.  
"Damn fool," she muttered to herself. The queen knew perfectly well what   
she was getting herself into, but she was still going to try it. There was   
nothing the senshi could do but watch.  
"Nani?" Chibi-Usa asked. Haruka looked at Chibi-Usa miserably. The poor   
kid had no idea, none at all. The queen had made sure of that. The queen wouldn't  
have wanted her child to worry about her. Haruka's lips twisted into a bitter smile,  
anger clearly visible on her face.  
Having the child remain ignorant was no solution to the problem. It would only make   
things harder for her when she found out.  
Of course, I'm the one who gets to explain to her what's happening to her mother,  
Haruka thought. I'm the one who brings the bad news, not her. Serenity wouldn't want to   
hurt anyone, even if it was for their own good.   
"She's going to use the ginzuishou. There's no way around it."  
"But that would kill her!" Chibi-Usa gasped. Haruka nodded.  
"She knows it too. That spell drains the life-force of whoever needs to   
use it so desperately. On her own, she may only last a few months." Chibi-  
Usa's eyes widened, shock and pure horror reflected in them.  
"Venus-tachi used a shield spell last time though."  
"Yes, but it was at a lower power level and there were four of them not   
one. Even though the queen is strong, there's no way that she can survive   
that." Neither said anything for the rest of the way. There really wasn't a   
lot that they could talk about.   
Haruka stopped and gestured to the door in front of her. Chibi-Usa looked   
at the door uncertainly. She didn't want to go in, but she didn't want to look   
like a coward in front of Haruka. In the brief time that she had known her, she   
had gained a tremendous sense of respect for the older woman. Trying not to   
quiver, she opened the door and stepped in.   
What she saw was far worse than anything she had anticipated. Hotaru was   
lying on the bed. Michiru sat beside the stricken figure of her friend, her   
face clouded with silent anguish.   
Stifling a sob, Chibi-Usa rushed over to her. She clasped the pale, limp   
hand. She stayed there for almost an hour, forcing back the tears that always   
threatened to break free of her eyes. Hotaru was practically a wraith, hovering   
on the line between life and death. Her skin was as white as a ghost.  
How could this all have happened so fast? Chibi-Usa wondered. Everything   
was fine just a little while ago. Everybody was so happy, simply enjoying the   
party. Now, that's all gone. It's like it was years ago. The inner senshi are   
missing. My mom may be about to die, and even Hotaru is slipping from this   
world. Why do such things have to happen? Why must everyone endure these   
sacrifices?   
She wanted to run through the door of her old house. Tsukino Ikuko would   
smile and welcome her back, refusing to let her stay out in the cold weather.   
She would plop down on her bed and wait for Helios to talk to her. She would   
ask him about this. He'd say that everything would be okay, that as long as she   
believed in them, they wouldn't die. That time was a thousand years in the past   
though. There was nothing for her to go back to now.  
Hotaru's eyes opened just a crack.   
"Chibi-Usa-chan?" she whispered. Her voice was so soft that Chibi-Usa   
could barely hear it through her labored breathing. The knowledge that at least   
she could speak and could recognize her was comforting though. There might   
still be hope for her.  
"I'm here. What is it?" She wanted to ask her so many questions. She   
wanted to know if she was okay, what had happened. Most importantly though, she   
wanted to know who had done this to her. For the first time in her life, Chibi-  
Usa hated someone. She wanted to get back at them, to hurt them as badly as   
they had hurt Hotaru.   
"There won't be much time before the rest attack. Another war may begin,   
if we are not careful. Gomen nasai, that I couldn't fight beside you."   
Hotaru's narrowed eyes closed and her hand flopped back down.   
"Hotaru-chan!" Desperately, she put her hand on Hotaru's icy wrist.   
There was still a pulse there. She was still clinging to life, but she wouldn't   
last long. A rare look of determination flashed in the small princess's eyes.   
Normally, she acted just like her mother once had and seemed unable to focus on   
the problem at hand. There were times though where a maturity that few people   
possessed showed through her.   
"How can I help?" she said.   
Haruka looked at the little girl with a face that showed both contempt and   
respect. She was completely sincere. Despite the fact that her pathetic powers   
could accomplish almost nothing, she still wanted to help.  
"There is a way," Michiru said. She never really had to expend effort to   
command attention, and this moment was no exception. Her voice was softer than   
usual, just enough to show that she was afraid. "The hospitals will soon be   
full, so we cannot take her there. I've been observing her for the past half   
hour and the damage is more than physical. Her life force has been badly   
drained. She once mentioned….that on Saturn they had a shrine of rebirth, where   
the planet's energy would help heal those who needed it. There is a good chance   
that it will work for the senshi of that planet."  
"Then let's go there!" Chibi-Usa cried with her usual impulsiveness.   
Without even trying to, Haruka could understand the child's thoughts on this   
matter. She had not considered the consequences of going to that planet. All   
that had crossed her mind was the fact that her friend was in danger. Haruka   
shook her head at the princess's naivety.  
"The planet Saturn is rarely visited by outsiders. It's far too   
dangerous," she said.  
"Why? What's there?"  
"I don't know. That planet was civilized by a slightly mysterious group   
of people. They use old magic, spells which many would forbid. No one can   
really be sure what sort of energy lurks in that place. Besides, someone   
obviously wanted Hotaru to be either dead or injured. There's a good chance   
that they already set up traps on that place." The princess shook her head   
defiantly, causing her pink hair to swish back and forth.  
"I won't just let her die! She didn't let me down, she never did. I   
won't let anything happen to her if I can help prevent it!" Haruka paused for a   
moment, considering what should be done. It would take a while for the shield   
to be at full power. There was about a half hour time frame in which it would   
be possible to exit. After that, they would be helpless and sealed into to   
their doomed city. Once outside though, there would be no returning. They   
would be left for their unknown enemies to hunt down.  
In the end, Haruka's more sentimental side won. The concept of waiting   
around in the Crystal Tokyo watching her adopted daughter die would be torture.   
Still, dragging along the heir to the throne would be far too dangerous.  
"We'll just have to do what we can here," Haruka said. Michiru shot her a   
slightly surprised look out of the corner of her eye. She knew exactly what was   
going on. "The shrine may not even exist after all." Michiru let her shoulders   
sag down enough so that she looked as though the despair was sinking in. She   
made certain though that it was fairly subtle. Chibi-Usa was an intelligent   
child and would realize something was wrong if they were too obvious.  
"We can't do that!" Chibi-Usa yelled desperately. Her eyes brimmed with   
tears at the thought. "I can't leave Hotaru-chan!" Haruka turned away as   
though she were unwilling to face her. She narrowed her eyes slightly giving   
herself a pained, slightly bitter expression.  
"Urusai! You cannot understand this," she snapped. Chibi-Usa fled from   
the room looking horrified.   
"We don't have much time left, we should leave now," Michiru said. Her   
voice was monotonous. They were doing something almost unthinkable and might   
lose their lives in the process, all based on an irrational, illogical rumor   
that might work.   
"We'll go," someone said. Haruka turned slightly to see the three   
Starlights in civilian form. She repressed her first impulse to hit Seiya as   
hard as she possibly could. Her more rational side realized that this would   
accomplish absolutely nothing and would waist their precious time which they   
were rapidly running out of. The queen's shield would be impenetrable soon.  
"Fine," she growled. She wasn't happy about the idea, but it made sense.   
They were bound to run into trouble and with Saturn out of action they might   
need help. With that said, she turned around and walked towards the western   
section of the castle. She didn't bother to see if the others followed her.   
She knew they would. Michiru wanted to save Hotaru as much as she did. If the   
Starlight's didn't want to come, she didn't really care.   
* * * * *   
The ship wasn't very large. It would fit their purposes without being too   
crowded though. Normally, the senshi wouldn't have bothered using one of the   
awkward things. They only existed to prevent the portals from becoming crowded   
with people who lacked the ability to teleport. In this case though, they were   
likely to be intercepted or blocked if they teleported. All of the portals had   
been closed to prevent transportation between the worlds. No one had bothered   
to consider that this could be a means of escape for someone.  
Michiru laid Hotaru out on one of the least stiff of the beds anxiously.   
Haruka had insisted on piloting the ship, despite Seiya's protests that he   
would.   
Fortunately for them, the staff who would have normally been there had   
moved closer to the center of the city. No one wanted to be near the outside in   
case the barrier didn't completely surround the city at first.  
Haruka stared down at the button beneath her hand. One small touch would   
send them hurtling out into space. She was no fool though. Once they were gone   
they were blocked out of the place for quite a while. There was a good chance   
that they would never see it or any of its inhabitants again.  
She cast a backwards glance at the beautiful city. The stars were still   
shining brightly giving the place an unearthly look. It was like a glimpse of   
their former time. It embodied the spirit of the queen, her pureness and   
nobility. She would miss the place.  
With that done, she slammed down on the button. A long good-bye would   
only make things harder and slow them down. She felt the ship engines start,   
its slightly aged shell vibrating uncertainly in the atmosphere. With years of   
racing behind her, she waited tensely for it get ready. A signal light flashed   
briefly. She pulled the lever feeling her body being forced back into the seat   
as the vehicle accelerated. Now I know what they mean when they say you can't   
go back home, she thought as they blasted off.  
* * * * *  
Peridot woke up on a large stone table with a splitting headache. She   
pressed her hands to her throbbing temples in a futile effort to make the room   
stop spinning around her and cause her head to stop burning.   
With a good deal of effort, she dragged herself off the stone pedestal   
that she had been resting on. Her legs suddenly gave way underneath her,   
sending her falling to the floor. She let out a yelp before struggling up.   
Once she was standing again though, she still had to lean on something just to   
remain erect. Her body was already showing signs of strain just from breathing.  
"Why do bad things always happen to me?" she whined. There was no answer   
except for the echo of her own voice. The three others were still unconscious.  
A smile spread across her face and her eyes narrowed. The opportunity   
would probably only come once. The three other volunteers were her competitors   
for power in the militaristic society of Nemesis. If an…accident were to happen   
to them, it would benefit her greatly.  
She knew all too well that any of them could defeat her in a battle face   
to face. Their innate magical gifts were far stronger as was their physical   
strength. Even when it had come to choosing who would control which senshi, she   
had gotten the weakest one. The power she had received was tremendous, but not   
as useful for offense as Jupiter's would have been. As long as they were   
around, she would be the cannon fodder and have the lowest status.  
Her window of opportunity was fairly short though. She had no time to   
waist. With that thought in mind, she reached down into her boot and extracted   
a small knife. Many people pondered how it was possible to conceal weapons   
underneath her skin-tight clothing. She had practiced the art of deception and   
every form of magic associated with it for many years though. Silently, she   
walked over to her first victim, Jade. She lowered the blade down to his   
throat.  
Just as she was about to slit his bare flesh, something stopped her. Her   
hand twitched compulsively and moved away from him. She struggled to force it   
back, but her hand continued to move of its own free will. She muffled a shriek   
with her working hand as she gazed in horror. She couldn't control her own   
body!  
Her fingers relaxed and dropped the knife onto the floor. All Peridot   
could do was watch in shock as it clattered on the cold stone beneath her feet.   
The situation didn't improve either. The strange force in her hand seemed to   
move up her arm, causing her to lose control over more and more places. A   
brilliant blue light appeared on her forehead where her black crescent normally   
was, illuminating the darkened cavern. She resisted weakly, sinking to her   
knees.   
The blue glow condensed into a single area, growing stronger each second.   
Peridot had already figured out who it was. The blue projection finally   
solidified into the form of a senshi. Her large, clear blue eyes were slightly   
wider than they normally would have been. She was wearing a simple garment, a   
school-girlish fuku with a short, blue skirt that complemented her hair. Her   
lips seemed to be mouthing some words, but they were to quiet for Peridot to   
hear at first. After a moment, her voice became audible.  
"What have you done to me?!" she asked in horror. Peridot glowered at   
her.   
"I could ask the same question. You should not be outside of my body.   
You belong to me and are no longer a separate entity," she snarled. "I've been   
working forever to get to this position and I won't have you ruining it!"   
Mercury said nothing for a few seconds. She simply stared at her in stunned   
silence as realization dawned on her.   
"Face the facts, you don't exist anymore. You didn't use your powers   
effectively while you had them and now they're mine! Do you hear me? Mine!"  
"I won't let you use my planet's energy for evil! That power is for   
protecting the princess!" she cried.  
"Shut up you little bitch! Shut up!" Why couldn't she control her? She   
should have been able to. If anyone saw this, they would take it as a sign of   
weakness on her part. She could not only lose her position, she could be   
killed. The princess might decide to grant the Mercurial queen's power to   
someone else. If Peridot had it removed from her though, she would never   
survive.  
Mercury continued to talk, though Peridot was no longer listening. Her   
mouth had gone very dry and she felt as though she were about to choke on her   
own breath. The longer this continued, the higher the probability of someone   
discovering this.   
Peridot held up one hand and summoned some of her new energy. She sent a   
small ice crystal hurtling towards the shadowy figure. It went straight through   
the spectral vision and shattered on the wall. Peridot's temper blazed into   
life triggered by her terror. She was completely helpless against this.   
Cursing under her breath, she ran at the person only to pass right through and   
slam into the wall as her small projectile once had. Ignoring the pain, she   
rebounded back and attempted to strike it again in a jump. She sailed through   
her target, landing against the pedestal that she had been resting on a few   
minutes ago.   
As if possessed, she charged at the shadowy nightmare before her,   
shrieking curses and sending shards of ice flying. Each time her attack   
produced the same result though. She wanted to tear her opponent into tiny   
pieces, but she couldn't reach her.   
She had several large bruises by then and was bleeding badly. She   
couldn't even feel it. All that mattered was the destruction of the senshi   
inside of her.   
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" she screamed. With all of her remaining   
energy, she conjured an enormous ice spear and hurled it at the senshi. It   
collided with the wall with a deafening crash sending fragments all over the   
room. The senshi flickered, then vanished. Peridot's eyes widened in horror as   
she realized what had just happened. If anyone saw that…she shuddered as she   
thought of the consequences.   
"What happened?" a low voice mumbled in confusion. Peridot whirled around   
to see one of her rivals, Jade sitting up. One of the pieces of her final   
weapon had gotten lodged in his arm, leaving a small, crimson stain on his   
clothing. If he finds out, he'll destroy me, she thought. After all, he is my   
rival, no, my enemy. They're all my enemies.   
"Nothing!" she cried, her voice rising to a level that could almost have   
been classified as hysterical. "I don't know anything!" With that, she   
teleported to her private rooms.  
* * * * *   
The princess bowed before a small alter so that her long hair pooled   
around her feet. The formality wasn't really necessary as she knew that this   
demon could not dispose of her. Still, it rarely paid to take chances with such   
a powerful entity. Also, today she did not feel like arguing with her (at least   
that's what it seemed to be). Its aura was already having an effect on her and   
she wanted to exit the room as quickly as possible.   
"Akuma-sama," she said, carefully keeping her tone of voice respectful.   
"Are you sure that Peridot was a good choice?" She knew that she could not   
openly disagree with it, but she would have liked to in this case. Peridot   
wasn't overly competent for one thing. She had also tried to assassinate her   
once. The princess had no doubt that she would attempt it again. Over all, she   
wasn't someone pleasant to work with, to say the least. If mislead, she could   
be manipulated. She was still too ambitious though.  
"Are you questioning my judgment?" a low voice hissed. Out of the   
blackness of near the shrine, several tendrils seemed to detach themselves and   
move in her direction. Two gleaming red eyes flashed dangerously. She ignored   
her first instinct that was screaming at her to teleport. Instead, she gritted   
her teeth and retracted her protest.  
"Forgive me. I had not intended to doubt your decision. I am merely   
saying that I have more experience in dealing with her and I do not believe that   
she is trustworthy." She silently prayed that the demon wouldn't rise to her   
slight contradiction of what she (or it) had said. She was lucky that day   
though and Akuma decided not to do anything drastic.   
"Why must you make things so difficult?" Akuma asked. A dark cloud shaped   
vaguely like a female human with two enormous wings protruding from her back   
detached itself from the wall. She lifted one translucent hand up to her face   
and looked directly at the princess. "I am only trying to help you in your   
goal."  
"And you may be endangering that goal by putting someone like her on this   
mission. We cannot afford failure!" As soon as she had said the words, she   
regretted them. Akuma's eyes narrowed to tiny slits in her face.  
"Your tongue may cost you your life one day," she said. The tone of voice   
was steely but well controlled. It was also very quiet. That was what worried   
her. Akuma never yelled or made unnecessary noise when she was angry. She   
seethed in low, barely audible tones. That was when she was most lethal.   
The princess realized that since she hadn't done anything yet, she might   
still be able to pull this off though.   
"I would suggest that you let Opal go." She hesitated for a moment,   
barely breathing as the demon considered. Without warning, Akuma thrust a half-  
formed hand forward and shot a blast of blood red energy at her. The princess   
levitated herself upward into the air, nearly striking the ceiling to avoid   
being hit. After a few seconds, she dropped down letting her hair trail behind   
her. She landed on the floor with perfect timing, not even flinching at the   
attack.  
"I will not have you arguing with me. You must remember your status!"  
"Don't you understand what's at stake here?! This planet won't last   
forever and it's going to take my race with it!" With that, she stormed out of   
the room, not turning her back to the monster behind her until she was sure that   
she was safe.   
* * * * *   
Haruka switched the ship into autopilot and went to check on Hotaru. Her   
presence in the pilot's chair wasn't really required all of the time. She   
really was only bothering driving to distract herself.  
Inside her chamber, Hotaru was sprawled out across her bed looking like a   
corpse. Her black hair only accented the unnatural paleness of her body. Every   
muscle was utterly limp and she looked as though she had not moved in years.   
Haruka knelt down beside her silently, letting her sleep. It hurt her   
deeply to see Hotaru like this. She had already endured far too much. There   
really was nothing that anyone on the ship could do for her though.  
Haruka grabbed her cold hand and held it tightly for a moment, fighting   
back the tears that were threatening to come foreword from her eyes. She rarely   
cried. It just wasn't something that she was comfortable letting everyone see.   
"Haruka?" a voice said. Haruka's eyes widened as she Hotaru's eyes opened   
slightly and looked at her.   
"Where am I?" she said, her voice monotonous.   
"It's all right, Hotaru. We're going back to your planet to heal you."   
Hotaru looked at her hopefully, but with a trace of guilt in her dark eyes.  
"Gomen nasai. I-it's all my fault that this happened…isn't it?" Haruka   
flinched a little when she heard that. It wasn't fair that Hotaru should be the   
one to feel guilty about this.  
"Not at all. Everyone on this ship did this because they were willing to   
risk their life for you. They chose to come," Haruka insisted fiercely. Hotaru   
smiled a little at that, the shine returning to her eyes.  
"Arigato. I'm so glad that you're all here for me." With that, her eyes   
closed and she sank into sleep.  
* * * * *  
Chibi-Usa lay in a small corner of the ship, trembling and trying to   
sleep. The place she had found was in the storage room, so no one would come   
back there unless they were looking for her. That was the only advantage of her   
hiding place though. It was too far away from all of the rooms that were heated   
and she was sure that she was going to freeze to death. There was also nothing   
that she could use as a blanket back there either. The place had nothing but   
empty crates and cold, hard steel.  
She couldn't leave though. The others would try to send her back. There   
was no way that she would let them do that. She had to be there for Hotaru, no   
matter what the price was.  
The princess's, Chibi-Usa's almost numb hand touched something wet.   
Blood. How much longer could she hold on?  
* * * * *  
Dinner was devoid of any noise with the exception of the clinking of   
silverware. Everyone ate in silence, left alone to think. Michiru and Taiki   
had attempted to start a conversation in the beginning, but it had slowly died   
off. No one seemed able to talk with Haruka sitting at the end of the table   
like a dark cloud. She had eaten almost nothing and hadn't said a word since   
she had entered the room. The only sign that she was even aware of anything   
were her occasional glares at Seiya and worried glances at Hotaru.  
The black haired woman was barely able to even sit upright. She was   
struggling to look normal, but her food remained untouched and her hands shook   
violently. Suddenly, Hotaru's eyes widened and she froze in place. Everyone   
turned to her at once, still not saying anything. The silence was almost   
tangible, filling the air and making it almost impossible to breath. It felt as   
though it were about to swallow them.  
"Daijobu?" Michiru finally asked. Hotaru said nothing for a moment. She   
opened her mouth at last and a strangled cry emerged. She fell from her chair,   
collapsing on the floor still shrieking in pain. Haruka leapt up and rushed   
towards her, ignoring everyone else.  
Hotaru recoiled from the senshi rushing at her.   
"Yamete! Yamete!" she begged. After a few moments, she regained her   
composure and was able to stand again. She looked at them desperately.   
"Someone on this ship is causing this!" she declared. "They're eating away my   
life-force in an attempt to grow stronger." The senshi looked at each other   
wondering who would do such a thing. Michiru couldn't help but notice that   
Haruka shot a nasty glare in Seiya's direction.   
Hotaru closed her eyes in concentration, trying to discover the source of   
her pain. When she opened her eyes, they were filled with determination. There   
was another emotion glinting in them though: rage. She was barely able to   
contain it. Hotaru held out one unsteady finger pointing towards a passageway.   
The others silently went down, lead by her.  
* * * * *  
Hotaru opened the storage door with far more force than necessary, letting the   
light from the hallway shine in. She stepped in, her eyes cold and narrowed to   
near slits.   
"Come out!" she yelled. Nothing responded. Hotaru froze and motioned to the   
others to do the same. In that moment, they heard a faint shuffle from the far   
corner. Hotaru stormed over and threw the crates out of the way. Once they   
were gone, nothing obscured her enemy.  
Pressed up against the wall was a small girl who appeared to be about nine years   
old. Her pastel pink hair was a filthy, oily mess and was coming out of its   
usual style. Dirt and grime covered her slightly pale skin and sailor fuku.   
Squinting in the bright light, she looked up at Hotaru in shock.   
"Hotaru-chan! Daijobu?" she asked anxiously. In her concern, her own suffering   
was forgotten completely. Hotaru did not bother to answer her though. She   
lifted the child up from her hiding place and flung her into the metal wall.   
Chibi-Usa collapsed on the ground in shock, bleeding from the impact.  
"This is the one who is responsible. I remember the queen telling me of a time   
where evil energy possessed her and she attacked our forces. Apparently, this   
has resurfaced," she said. "The only way to destroy it is to kill her." She   
turned to look at Haruka. "Letting her drift in space for a bit is probably the   
best way, ne?" No one said a word. They all stared at Hotaru as if they were   
seeing a ghost.  
Chibi-Usa's looked at Hotaru in confusion.  
"Why are you doing this, Hotaru-chan? I-I thought…" her voice drifted off for   
an instant. "I thought that we were friends…" Hotaru stepped back and ran from   
the room into her own cabin leaving the others in stunned silence.  
* * * * *   
"Hime-sama!" Jade yelled, pounding on the princess door. There was no   
response. The ill-tempered man shoved his coal-black hair away from his face in   
irritation. She hadn't said a word to him for several days. She spent all of   
her time in her room sulking. He had never gotten along with her at all, but   
she should still find time to see someone as important as he obviously was.   
"What's wrong with the stupid bitch this time?" he wondered out loud. He did   
not have the patience to put up with this much longer.  
"You know that she never has time to see any of us," Peridot grumbled in   
her usual whiny voice. She had thought that Mercury would be weak and easy to   
deal with. She could not have been more wrong. The senshi had a far stronger   
will than she had been lead to believe and was fighting her constantly.   
Needless to say, she had become even moodier and her temper had not improved.  
Jade growled something incomprehensible and slammed into the door. Black   
energy flared up around the doorframe and sent him flying backwards muttering   
curses. From inside the room a low voice mumbled something to them.  
"Go away," she said. "I don't know who you are, and at this point I don't   
care. I don't want to hear what you have to say because I don't feel like   
talking to anybody right now. Go away!" Peridot snorted contemptuously.   
"We have such a weak, pathetic leader," she sneered quietly. "She should   
be easy to get rid of though." Jade smiled slightly.  
"I've often thought of the idea myself. There's no reason for her to be   
in charge. Oh, she's quite powerful, but the only real reason that she's the   
ruler is because that demon is backing her. Now if it were to choose someone   
else…" He paused suggestively.  
"I like the idea," she purred. "Just one little ice crystal in the back   
and-" She moved her finger across her throat in a slicing motion.   
"Would you like to meet me in my office a little later?" he asked. "I   
think that we might be able to…work something out." Peridot grinned.   
"I think I would like that very much." With that done, Jade sauntered   
off, obviously pleased with himself. Peridot waited until he was gone to let   
her glee show. Finally, she would have an opportunity to rule this useless   
planet. Jade controlled one of the strongest senshi that existed in the solar   
system. With his help, she would easily be able to defeat the princess. Once   
that was through she would have to dispose of him too, of course. It was a   
minor setback though.  
"I always thought that you had no sense of ethics. I see that I was   
correct." Peridot whirled around to see a tall woman with bright red hair tied   
back in a tight braid. Unlike Peridot, she wore the standard uniform of   
Nemesis. Peridot forced a smile, attempting to hide her dislike of this   
particular person.  
"Ah, hello Tanzanite. I didn't see you there," she said, sounding a   
little annoyed at the others presence.  
"People who are blinded by there own ambitions usually have problems with   
that."  
"What do you want from me? Are you going to use this against me?"   
Peridot hissed.   
"I don't want anything from someone like you. I was just passing by when   
I noticed you're conversation."  
"If you have nothing to do with this then leave!" she snapped.   
"Despite what you might think, love is something a bit deeper than a   
political game, at least to some. Do you really think that you're flirtations   
are going to gain you more power? Can you be that blind?" A slightly   
melancholy note crept into her voice when she said this.  
Peridot tensed, waiting for her to attempt to attack. The blow she was   
anticipating never came though. Tanzanite simply turned her back and walked   
away. Peridot smirked at the other woman's back. She should never have made   
that mistake. Turning your back to almost anyone on Nemesis could be fatal.   
With Peridot, it was the equivalent to suicide.  
Let's see what this senshi can do, she thought. She conjured a long,   
wicked looking icicle and prepared to send it at Tanzanite in the style that one   
might throw a javelin. The other woman would never have time to react. Without   
hesitation or remorse, she hurled her projectile at her opponent.   
Tanzanite was not quite as naïve as she had expected though. The more   
experienced woman whirled around at the last possible second and sent an   
enormous blast of fire in Peridot's direction. The icicle dissolved instantly.   
The flames didn't stop there though. They rushed foreword at Peridot as if they   
were going to eat her alive.  
Peridot jumped back, frantically trying to think of a spell to use before they   
consumed her. She searched through the memory of her senshi. After a few   
seconds-though it seemed like an eternity-she found something that might work.  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she yelled. Fortunately for her, the senshi   
inside of her knew how to use the attack effectively. A stream of ice clashed   
with the fire. The flames weren't quite hot enough to reach her through the   
senshi's energy. Peridot could feel herself shaking with fear and relief. It   
took all of the strength she had left not to fall over.  
Tanzanite glared at her.  
"I could have finished you then. You'd better watch your back." With   
that said, Tanzanite strode off into the gloom of a nearby passageway.   
"I'll kill you for that," she snarled. She ran towards the training   
ground.  
* * * * *   
Chibi-Usa was vaguely aware that she was walking somewhere, being lead by   
a person. Numbly, she went with them until she was deposited in a room on a   
bed. The door closed behind her with the click of a lock. She didn't really   
care whether she could get out or not. It didn't matter where she was.  
All she could do was play the scene over and over in her mind. The door   
had opened and light had flooded into the pitch black room. Through the painful   
brightness she could see Hotaru's silhouette followed by the other members on   
board the ship. Hotaru's face had been contorted with fury. She had grabbed   
Chibi-Usa and flung her against the wall accusing her of causing everything.   
Hotaru had wanted to kill her. After that, everything had become a blur.  
It wasn't possible. It just wasn't possible. Hotaru would never have   
done something like that. Hotaru was the shy, gentle and brave girl that had   
grabbed her hat as it was snatched up by the wind. That Hotaru couldn't be the   
same one that had suggested sending her out into space.   
What if she had been right though? What if she had been the one who had   
caused all of this? She didn't remember it, but it was possible. Black Lady   
was not just a creation of Wise Man, she was a part of Chibi-Usa. It was a   
darker side of her that few people ever saw. It was all her jealousy, pain and   
hate. All that Wise Man had done was compact that side of her into a single   
entity. It was possible that that person had resurfaced after all of this time.  
What have I done? Have I destroyed the Crystal Tokyo for the second time?   
I did it before without meaning to…Am I the one that is causing my mama to   
destroy herself slowly?  
Chibi-Usa felt something wet slide down her cheek. She put a hand up to   
her face and realized that she had been crying all of this time without even   
knowing it.   
"Baka," she whispered. It was such a childish habit, one which she had   
been trying to rid herself of for years. Despite her efforts though, her tears   
would not stop. All she could do was let them come. She reached her hand out   
into the dimensional pocket where she kept most of her things. A small, cat-  
shaped ball with a crescent moon on its forehead appeared.  
"Don't cry, Small Lady," it said in its usual cheerful voice. Chibi-Usa   
pulled the object close to her and hugged it as if she were a baby. Sobs racked   
her small body. For once, she didn't bother to keep them back. She had to cry.  
* * * * *  
Haruka slammed her fist into the steel wall of the ship, leaving a fairly   
good sized indentation. She withdrew her raw hand, trying to keep her bloodied   
knuckles from leaving a stain on anything. She knew perfectly well that it   
wasn't the best of things that she could have done under the circumstances.   
At that point she didn't really care though. What else was there to do on   
board this ship? They could not come right out and kill Chibi-Usa as there was   
a good chance that she was innocent. On the other hand, they couldn't trust her   
either as there was a chance that Hotaru was telling the truth.  
All that they could do was wait. Waiting was not exactly what any of them   
needed right then though. As senshi, they were used to fighting what ever   
monster happened to be attacking earth at the time. It was easy for them to   
eliminate concrete enemies that stood before them. When the enemies were   
themselves though, things got more difficult.  
"All this damn silence," Haruka muttered darkly. "It just doesn't seem to   
end." The worst part about this was that it gave her too much time to think, to   
let her mind drift into "what ifs" which she did not need right then.   
Too often, she found herself wondering why Michiru had been so close to   
Seiya. It wasn't as though Michiru had never danced with someone before. It   
was just that all of those times it had never been behind her back. She had   
also always known that it was merely a friendly dance, that it didn't really   
mean anything. This time, she wasn't so sure.  
Baka! She would never do something like that! Haruka couldn't help but   
think about it though. It was possible that after all of these years Michiru   
had been growing less comfortable being with her and that she wanted to move on.   
It was also possible that she would be willing to love Seiya. After all, though   
Haruka hardly ever looked at men as most girls did, she could tell that he was   
attractive. He was also a senshi, eliminating that difference.   
Maybe this wasn't even something new. Could it have been that she always   
felt that way about him? Could it have been that that time in the locker room   
really did mean something?  
Haruka winced a little as she thought of these things. She hated to even   
think of the idea, but there was no way that she could deny the fact that it was   
possible. She wished she could talk to Michiru about it, or even Seiya. No,   
she didn't want to talk to Seiya. She wanted to hit him until he resembled her   
bleeding hand.   
No, she couldn't talk to Michiru about this as she had no solid proof that   
this was true. So all she could do was sit and wait like everyone else on this   
cursed ship. For all of her skill with magic, for all of her strength, for all   
of the years of service she had given the queen, she was completely helpless.  
* * * * *   
Chibi-Usa's eyes were puffy and slightly redder than usual from crying.   
She had wiped away all of the tears, but she still felt that she might go into   
relapse at any minute. All of the sleepless days and nights spent in the   
freezing storage room had worn her out and left her as nothing but a bundle of   
nerves and exhaustion. The incident with Hotaru had been too much. It had   
finally overwhelmed her.  
All of sudden, she knew what she had to do. She didn't have to think   
about it, she just knew instantly. She got up, grabbed Luna P and went to the   
door. She had known that it would be locked so it wasn't much of a   
disappointment for her. She simply took the cat-like ball and pressed it up   
against the lock. After a few minutes it gave way and she was free to go around   
the ship.  
She took Luna P and made it stare straight at her.  
"Repeat this: Please don't come in. I-I really need…need to be alone."   
Luna P's eyes whirled.  
"Small Lady! Small Lady!" it said. Chibi-Usa sighed in exasperation.   
Luna P had always been a wonderful toy but it was rather lacking in   
intelligence. She tried to get it to mimic her several more times before giving   
up. It was completely useless. She hissed at it to be quiet and grabbed it so   
that she could bring it with.  
Once that was done, she crept out her room. She locked the door behind   
her and headed towards Hotaru's room. She knew that this had to be some kind of   
mistake. Hotaru would never have intentionally hurt her. All that she had to   
do was find her friend and talk things over. Hotaru would understand. She had   
to.  
Quietly, she walked through the halls until she arrived at the door.   
Normally, she would have knocked. While she was not the most polite of   
children, she was not intentionally rude. Right now though, she wasn't thinking   
clearly. She was nervous, hurt and tired. In her rush to get out of sight of   
the others and reach Hotaru, she burst into the room without thinking.  
Hotaru wasn't in the room, but someone else was. She was considerably   
taller than the dark senshi and also less frail in appearance. She had long,   
silky black hair pinned up in two pointed odangoes similar to the ones Chibi-Usa   
had worn as Black Lady. The black dress with little crystals on it was too   
tight for her and the skirt didn't go down very far at all.  
The lady didn't actually seem very intimidating at the moment though. She   
had to support herself by putting her hands on the desk in front of her. Her   
breathing was too loud and it sounded strained.   
Chibi-Usa froze. She had realized that Hotaru had done something strange,   
but it had not yet occurred to her that someone was impersonating her. This   
situation was even worse than she had imagined. There really wasn't a lot that   
she could do though. She could not call Helios because there was no way that he   
could reach her in outer space. She could try to blind her enemy temporarily   
with her attack and run to tell the others. That might work, but it was   
incredibly risky. Chibi-Usa had a limited knowledge about spell casting. From   
what she had read when she had snuck into her mother's room she knew that   
disguising your appearance was extremely difficult and anyone who was capable of   
keeping up such a complex spell for so long had to exceptionally powerful.  
The pink haired child backed away slowly, reaching for the door. By some   
horrible stroke of luck, the door creaked. The lady turned around, uttering a   
soft curse when she saw who was there. On the person's forehead, there was a   
small upside-down black crescent, marking her as one of the banished ones.   
Chibi-Usa also noticed that the imposter couldn't have been older than Usagi.   
She actually looked rather ludicrous standing up in Hotaru's dress that didn't   
fit her.  
Stealth was out of the question now as she had been found out. She was   
going to have to do something that she hadn't done in over two years. She   
yelled at Luna P to change. In a puff of smoke, the little cat-like ball   
transformed into a perfect replica of a 20th century gun. She pointed at the   
person in front of her, trying to act like she knew what she was doing.  
"I don't know why you're doing this, but I can't let you pretend to be my   
friend! I can't forgive you! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" Like   
Usagi, she had always been good at giving the speech effectively and   
melodramatically, even if it was rather pointless. Right now though, she needed   
to buy some time and this might get it for her.  
The girl glared at her in annoyance, but said nothing. Chibi-Usa put her   
finger on the trigger.   
"I know that this weapon is outdated, but it can still kill you. This is   
a real gun and I know how to use it, so listen to what I say!" The girl still   
did not reply. She was beginning to shake slightly. A black, crystal choker on   
her neck began to glow a dull shade of violet.  
Chibi-Usa was beginning to get worried. If this person called her bluff,   
she wouldn't have a chance. Though Luna P could change into almost anything,   
her mother had made sure that it wasn't actually capable of severely hurting a   
person.   
The older girl's eyes narrowed began to glow the same shade of purple as   
her collar. She extended one hand in Chibi-Usa's direction, the malicious   
expression on her face darkening. Suddenly, the illumination radiating from her   
collar vanished and her eyes reverted to normal. She grabbed Chibi-Usa's wrists   
and twisted them, causing her to drop the gun. With that, she threw the child   
into a corner of the room.   
Chibi-Usa watched, her eyes transfixed to her opponent as a change came   
over her. Her hair color slowly transformed from black to a rather bright shade   
of pink. Her eyes were also altered from dark purple to red. By the time she   
was finished she resembled Chibi-Usa's former self, Black Lady, closely. Her   
facial structure as well as her body was different, but there was enough   
resemblance with the hair that the other senshi-who had never actually seen   
Black Lady-could be fooled. She smirked in Chibi-Usa's direction and left,   
sealing the door with a ward behind her.   
"Let me go!" Chibi-Usa yelled. In frustration, she slammed into the door.   
It was futile though. All she could do was watch as her life unraveled.  
* * * * *  
Peridot stormed off to the training grounds. She had to burn off a little   
of her anger some way. The way she would have preferred would be sending   
various pieces of Tanzanite flying onto the wall. Unfortunately, that was an   
impossibility for her. Trying to attack Tanzanite would be suicide.  
She despised the slightly older woman, she always had. In fact, she had   
despised many of the people on Nemesis. Now though, she could feel her hatred   
getting even stronger to the point where it was intolerable. It was like some   
kind of strange disease that was eating her alive, piece by piece.  
Peridot pushed her way through the cluster of droidos that were gathered   
at the training grounds. Why did they have to get in her way? Everyone was   
just in her way!  
None of the targets were free, but that didn't stop her. She shoved two   
humans who were practicing away. Now, she had a chance to vent a little bit.   
If she didn't, she thought she would burst in frustration. She raised her hands   
above her head and tried to think of one of the attack phrases Mercury was   
supposed to use. She was probably capable of using more power than those   
attacks could ever produce, but it would be best to use something easy to begin   
with.  
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" she cried dramatically. Energy gathered in her   
arms causing her body to drop in temperature slightly. She expected it to   
release. It didn't. She could feel it writhing inside of her, but something   
was preventing it from leaving her body.   
Silence descended on the stunned audience of droidos. Quite a few of them   
had seen the attack in action before, and knew that this was not what it was   
supposed to do. Slowly, whispers began to sweep across the crowd as quickly as   
the suddenly silence had. Everyone wanted to know why she couldn't use the   
power, why she was in capable of controlling the senshi and also why she had   
ever been granted such a high position.  
Peridot could see that her hands were shaking and glowing faintly blue.   
Slowly, a pool of water leaked out of her hands and dissolved on the ground.   
She wasn't able to see her, but she could almost feel the senshi inside her   
laughing. Why shouldn't she laugh? She's winning this battle, Peridot thought   
grimly. She hated losing to anyone, but losing to one of her lifelong opponents   
was something she couldn't tolerate.   
"Get away from me!" Peridot shrieked. She wasn't really sure whether it   
was directed at that monstrosity embedded inside her or the throng of droidos   
around her. It didn't really matter to her at this point. Shaking violently,   
she stood up. She swept her icy gaze around the crowd, searching for a target.   
She lashed out at the first droido she saw. She didn't even bother to use   
magic. She simply kicked it over. It was a primitive method, but it was   
effective. What she had forgotten though was that the droido was designed to   
try to attack anything that struck it first. Without being fully aware of its   
actions, it lunged at Peridot's throat.   
The emerald haired woman was sent flying across the training area. She   
was nimbler than she appeared to be though. Before she struck the other wall,   
she rebounded off one of the targets and managed to land on two quivering legs.  
She reached down into the memory of the senshi, struggling to maintain   
control. Slowly, an icicle began to condense into her hand. She could still   
hear Mercury screaming, but it wouldn't be enough.   
She grinned nastily as the icicle finally solidified. She would make it   
pay. She would make them all pay for insulting and humiliating her in this way.   
She ran at the mob of droidos and slammed her weapon at the first one she saw.   
It sliced through the monsters arm causing some chemical to ooze out of the   
wound and onto the floor. Peridot giggled. You haven't won yet! Go on,   
scream, plead and cry down in your soul. It is useless!  
Her giggling increased in volume until she was laughing crazily. She   
continued to swing her weapon about her unceasingly. She didn't care what   
happened at this point. She was too full of adrenaline and desire for blood to   
think of the consequences.  
The droidos had decided to let this insane woman fight something else.   
None of them wanted to be responsible for the death of their superior, but none   
of them wanted to be killed by her either.   
With almost nothing left to destroy, Peridot turned to the nearest human.   
He was a good deal taller than her-though most people were-with short, blonde   
hair. He seemed to be ignoring her rampage completely as he was occupied   
flirting with Unakite. She recognized him as one of the other four who had been   
chosen for this assignment. He didn't appear to be having any difficulty with   
his senshi though. It wasn't fair.  
Peridot smirked a bit as she pictured the look on his face when he   
realized his own doom. By then, it would already be too late though. She   
hurled the icicle at him as though it were a javelin.   
A split second before impact, someone dashed in the way. The ice crystal   
shattered into dozens of shimmering pieces which vanished in an instant. A   
bright shield of flame surrounded her, protecting her from harm. Peridot could   
see the person as the flames blurred their face, but she knew exactly who it   
was. It was the only person on this planet who would do this.   
Peridot took one moment to flash a brutal glare in Tanzanite's direction   
before she turned and fled the scene.  
* * * * *   
The princess, Adularia strode cockily towards the main deck of the ship.   
She radiated confidence and malice. This was far from the emotions that she was   
actually feeling though. Inside, she was sick with nervousness and also with an   
insane sort of joy. She had finally done the unthinkable, she had struck   
against Serenity. There was no going back now. She had created her one   
opportunity for revenge and freedom. The fear came from the fact that if she   
made even the slightest error at this point could cause her to fail. She would   
never get another chance.  
The time she had to finish this battle and be successful was limited   
though. She was no fool. She knew that Nemesis was dying. The planet could   
not last more than a few years at the most. Already, she could feel the demon's   
power taxing the planets and her strength.   
She had another motivation to work quickly though. Such a thorough   
disguise was wreaking havoc with her energy supply. She was getting to the   
point where it was hard for her to keep up even such a small thing as changing   
her hair to pink. If she didn't make this skirmish short, her disguise would   
slip and there was even a chance that she would be injured or knocked out by one   
of the senshi. At this point, she was at her weakest.  
If only she had more time! It was slipping away from her constantly,   
killing her planet and dissolving her control. She had none to waste.  
She took a deep breath before she entered the room. Everything would work   
out perfectly, it had to.  
* * * * *  
Dinner, again. They had only been on the ship for about a week and   
already Haruka found the monotonous routine disgusting. They woke up in cold   
space under some illusion that it was day time. They ate. They went back to   
sleep. All of this was conducted in near silence as none of them were willing   
to mention their dilemma. None of them even wanted to speak a word about the   
possibility of having to kill their princess. So, by some unanimous, unspoken   
taboo they remained silent while their supposed days dragged on and the queen   
grew weaker.  
She was about ready to explode. She had to do something, anything. Being   
a racer for all of those years had never prepared her for this experience.  
The worst part of it was Michiru though. She hadn't spoken to her partner   
in a while, which was a rarity for her. She should have been able to talk to   
her about anything. Now, she wasn't quite so sure that she could.   
Amidst the clinking of silverware, she heard another sound, one that she   
had trained her ears to pick up over time. Someone was coming. They sounded as   
if they were trying to be quiet and failing. The vibrations of the steel floor   
were a dead give away.   
Everyone else seemed to feel it too as they stopped eating. Whoever was   
making the noise either wasn't trying to be very subtle or they hadn't noticed   
because the footsteps continued to get louder.   
A few seconds later, a young woman stood poised on the threshold of the   
room. She was wearing a rather unusual black dress that contrasted her   
impossibly pink hair sharply. Haruka could not be certain, but the lady did   
have a strong resemblance to the Black Lady that Usagi had spoken of   
occasionally.   
The enemy laughed and began to say a few things, taunting them about their   
weakness and inability to restrain her. Haruka didn't bother listening. She   
had heard various empty threats from virtually every enemy that she had ever   
fought. They were meaningless. In this case though, it gave her time to find   
out something important: Where had Michiru gone? The aqua haired senshi seemed   
to have slipped out of sight without anyone noticing. Haruka couldn't help but   
wince. No matter what came between them, she didn't think she could bear to see   
her hurt in any way.   
Black Lady-it was logical to assume that that was who it was-stopped   
speaking almost in mid-sentence. She conjured a large, black crystal and   
slammed it into the deck of the ship, slicing through the metal as if it didn't   
exist. Using the hole she had made, she slipped down onto a lower level.   
Instinctively, the senshi jumped up to avoid what they realized was coming. A   
few seconds later, the same crystal sliced through the floor, allowing Black   
Lady to resurface.   
Black Lady turned to make her exit in the confusion that followed her   
attack. Haruka saw it first though. She wasn't in her senshi form, but that   
didn't mean she was helpless. She leapt through the air and landed a flying   
kick on Black Lady's back. The pink haired woman fell to the floor with little   
resistance.  
"Are you going to tell me what you're doing here now or will I have to   
take that information out by force?" she growled in her attackers ear.   
* * * * *  
Adularia cursed her rotten luck. She should have realized that working   
too many spells at once would drain her energy. She had been relying mainly on   
intimidation to get her through this alive. After all, she didn't need to kill   
the senshi, not yet anyways. She just needed to put them in a certain position.   
Had she just used some light spells that were somewhat effective at a distance,   
she could have pulled this off. But no, she had to get close to them to provide   
the dramatic effect that she was looking for. It had never occurred to her that   
any of the senshi would get past their initial shock and actually strike her.  
The next moment, her luck got even worse. The aqua haired woman held up a small   
hand mirror. It looked fairly ordinary, if one ignored the symbol of Neptune on   
the back. Adularia wasn't fooled by its unimpressive appearance though. The   
magic attached to that object was tremendous. With a sinking heart, she   
realized what it had to be. She had heard legends of Sailorneptune possessing a   
mirror somewhat like this one, and knew what it did.   
After a few seconds, the woman looked up from the mirror.  
"She's not Black Lady!" she yelled. It was too late for her charade now. She   
might be able to turn circumstances in her favor later on, but that would have   
to wait.  
She tried to break free, but she was exhausted and knew that she didn't stand a   
chance to the blonde haired woman who had her pinned. She just had to   
improvise, something that she hated even under the best of circumstances. She   
closed her eyes, trying to ignore her captor. After a few moments of   
concentration, her body reluctantly faded from the room. She landed on Hotaru's   
bed a few seconds later. After changing, she instantly fell asleep.  
* * * * *  
"Damn! Where'd she go?" Haruka demanded. Obviously, no one knew the   
answer, a fact she was getting tired of. None of them had any idea what was   
going on. All that they knew was that it reeked of a trap. Since there was   
nothing that they could do about it quite yet though. That meant even more   
waiting, which she didn't think she could stand. How could they sit there doing   
nothing while their queen slowly died, their friends gone and the civilization   
that they had devoted their lives to protecting crumbling? We're senshi, not   
the damn castle staff, she thought venomously. They lived to protect, something   
that they were utterly incapable of doing at this present time.   
Yaten looked strangely thoughtful for a moment.  
"Has anyone considered the possibility that she could be anyone of us? If   
she knows the spells to disguise herself and knows how to use them, she could be   
anyone at anytime on this ship." It was not a pleasant thing to think about,   
but even Haruka had to admit that it was logical. Why hadn't she seen it   
sooner?  
Uneasily, she looked over at Michiru. She couldn't even trust her now.  
* * * * *  
The lock was turning out to be harder to open than Chibi-Usa had   
anticipated. She thought that Luna P would be able to get her out.   
Unfortunately, the imposter had thought of that and made the lock reasonably   
secure.   
She couldn't give up though. If the other senshi came and found her after   
whatever the girl pretending to be Black Lady had done…She couldn't even bear to   
think about it. The senshi rarely showed it, but when they had a reason to   
destroy they were very effective, too effective.   
How could everything have gotten so horrible so quickly? Just the other   
day she had been in the Crystal Tokyo by her mother's side. Her biggest concern   
was helping her mother plan her anniversary. How could all of this happen?  
She listened and from down the metal corridor she could hear footsteps.   
They were faint, but she was almost certain that they were coming in her   
direction. In desperation, she tore at the lock with her own hands, struggling   
to open it. All of her efforts only left her with numerous cuts in her hands.   
Now the lock was soaked in blood, but it was not opening.  
Chibi-Usa realized that she was being irrational. All she was doing was   
making the lock more difficult to open. I have gotten through worse events   
unscathed before, she thought in an attempt to calm herself down. I can get out   
of this. If the door won't open, I'll just find another way.   
She looked around the room, willing herself into calmness. Even with her   
experience, it was hard. The knowledge that some of her closest friends were   
probably dead and that the others were about to kill her wasn't easy to ignore.   
She could still see flashes of their faces when Hotaru-no, not Hotaru-had   
accused her. Their eyes had been shocked at first, but had slowly narrowed in   
cold anger. The faces kept flashing in the back of her mind, haunting her like   
ghosts.  
After a moment the little princess saw her exit. There was a vent a ways   
above her bed. The tunnel behind it was small but she could fit through it.   
For once she blessed her tiny size. It might be a curse most of the time, but   
it had provided her with a way to survive for now at least. As long as she was   
safe for a few hours, she would be able to secure her future for a few more.   
All she could do was stay alive for the present time until a solution to her   
problem presented itself.  
Chibi-Usa positioned Luna-P on the bed so that she could boost herself   
into the vent. As she pulled the steel cover off of her route to freedom, she   
looked down slightly self-consciously. Her hands were still coated with blood.   
She couldn't allow that to give her away. She ripped off small pieces of her   
uniform to create some rather shabby looking bandages. She looked liked an   
escaped convict. How could she have come to this position.  
"Helios, wish me luck," she whispered softly. Even now, the winged horse   
who hid Helio's face was the first person she would turn to. He wasn't around   
anymore, but she still thought of him constantly.  
With those final words, the small child crept into the vent, dragging her   
toy with her. She carefully hid the evidence that she had been there, wiping   
away as much blood as she could and closing the entrance behind her. How long   
could she live like this?  
* * * * *  
Tanzanite cast a slightly nervous glance at Heliotrope. He was with   
Unakite, again. She tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her heart as she saw   
the two of them together but failed. It was too strong. How could she ever   
truly forget him? He was…everything to her. He was the only thing that broke   
the monotony of each day and made life worth living. He was…  
No, she couldn't think that. There was no chance that he returned her   
feelings, so it was foolish to continue thinking them. Still…  
He had been like that once with her a long time ago. She had gone with   
him everywhere and he had paid attention to her. She had been like his   
reflection, always there for him, no matter what.  
Perhaps someday things could be like that again. She still felt that when   
he looked at her there was that same emotion in his eyes that she had once seen   
so often. Someday, he would notice her again. She was certain that the feeling   
was still there, it was just hard to see. But it was there. It had to be.  
* * * * *  
"Chibi-Usa-chan?" Michiru called. Her voice echoed down the corridor   
uncannily, replying in a thousand distorted versions of herself. No child's   
voice called back though. That was what worried her. Even if she was afraid,   
surely she would answer her door. When she opened it though, the room was   
completely empty. The bed was slightly less orderly than it had been but other   
than that it looked as though no one had been there.  
On an impulse, Michiru turned to stare at the lock. The rough edges were   
encrusted with a thin layer of dried blood. The aquatic senshi strode over and   
wiped some of it off on her hand. A bit of it was still wet. At least they   
still had some chance of finding her.   
Michiru close her eyes and concentrated for a moment. She focused on   
every detail of the room, the cot that passed for the bed with its ruffled   
covers, the lock, the door, the walls, the entire room. Slowly, she felt her   
mind expand to fill that space. She forced herself to move foreword in all   
directions, feeling every part of the ship come into her awareness.  
Her mind felt something coming from one of the vents, a feeling of   
uncertainty and pain. She didn't need to confirm it with her mirror, she knew   
who was down there. She let her a spirit leak out of the vessel, returning to   
its normal place.  
She couldn't go down the ventilation pipe. There was nothing she could   
do. If small lady did not come out, this ship would become her tomb.  
* * * * *  
Haruka winced a little as the steel bars at the sides of the cot cut into   
her shoulder blades and her feet slowly froze on the floor. It was a fairly   
cheaply made little ship, designed before stable portals had been established.   
At this point it was basically obsolete, so no one actually bothered to keep   
anything in good condition. Unfortunately that meant a lack of sleep for Haruka   
whose cot was in dire need of replacement.   
It didn't really matter though. She had too much to think about for sleep   
to come to her easily. She wished she didn't. The thought kept running through   
her mind that she had no way to trust her partner. She couldn't talk to her, be   
close to her…  
She looked over at Michiru's unconscious form. The tiny lights of the   
stars shining from the oblivion of the night sky cast a soft glow over her. She   
looked so peaceful there, as if she had never known pain. It was far from true.   
Few could claim that they had endured what she had. Still, in this brief moment   
all of those added years drifted off of her face, making her look almost   
childlike.  
Haruka smiled a little ruefully. It was hard to believe that she was   
incapable of anything cruel in this state. She looked more innocent than her   
partner had ever seen her. Almost like…Usagi. She had a different light than   
the princess, but it was a beautiful shine just the same.  
Haruka stood up and walked over to her. Michiru was right there in front   
of her. So close, yet so untouchable. She reached out and tentatively ran her   
fingers through her partners bluish hair. She bent down and brushed her lips   
lightly over her forehead.  
"No matter what you do to me, I'll always love you," she whispered.   
Haruka didn't need to say it to Michiru. She already knew.  
The wind senshi strode out of the room, aware that sleep would never come   
to her. The least she could do was brood on her own. She didn't want to awaken   
Michiru. She didn't notice her lover's eyes staring out at the night sky in   
confusion as she walked out.  
* * * * *  
Adularia gasped frantically. There was air all around her, but she   
couldn't breath. Her foreign lungs were too small, her body too strange. How   
long had she kept herself imprisoned like this? How long had she been keeping   
several dozen spells active? She didn't know. Time had no meaning anymore.   
Her only relief was the fact that Hotaru was expected to sleep constantly   
because of her injury.  
Nemesis was getting out of control again and holding it, the disguise   
spell and the spells binding the other planets of the solar system together was   
taxing even on her strength. How long could she continue with this insanity   
before lack of energy started to cloud her judgment and make her slip up? Would   
she last until they reached their destination?  
Slowly, she calmed her panicked mind into a state of false tranquility.   
She didn't have time to be afraid. She didn't have time for anything. If she   
lost control now, who knew what would happen to those on Nemesis?  
She could still see that little girl's-Fluorite's-eyes staring up at her.   
She could still feel her hope…  
"Is everyone going to be all right?" the child asked nervously. Her large   
purple eyes gazed innocently at the princess. Her violet hair was in a state of   
chaos as usual, but she didn't seem to mind. Everything was put out of her   
thoughts until her question was answered.  
"Of course."  
"Hondo ni? Last time…last time everyone wasn't all right when you said   
they would be," she said accusingly.   
"I know. But I thought that your mama would be okay. Now, I have to keep   
believing that we'll make it so that we can save everyone else's mama's."  
"But what about…Neo-Queen Serenity," she questioned nervously. The name   
of the queen was what bullies often referred to in order to scare little   
children. Her name was what the smaller ones whispered in the dark, afraid to   
say it when people were around as if she would jump out and carry them away.   
Fluorite had always prided herself in being above that and bravely said the   
name, making sure everyone knew that she wasn't afraid of any moon queen.   
Still, she whispered it with a kind of reverence.  
"Don't worry about that. I can't die. What would happen to everyone else   
if I did?"  
"We'd die too?" she shrieked, jumping back.  
"No, of course not. I'd never be so selfish as to do something stupid   
like dying!"  
"Not like my mama," she mumbled.   
"Everything will be fine."  
"Do you promise?" she said, her eyes filled with almost painful hope.  
"Yes, I promise."  
In all of her pain, that one thought kept Adularia thinking with a certain   
degree of clarity. She had to manage this. She couldn't hold on to this spell   
that hid her appearance forever though. She might be able to let go off her   
disguise spell for a few minutes if she could find a place to hide.  
* * * * *  
Seiya tugged at the cord holding his ponytail in place. Black hair   
cascaded around him, falling down past his waist. He forcefully pushed it away   
from his face, not caring that it undoubtedly looked like a mess at the moment.   
He heard footsteps approaching behind him and couldn't suppress the feeling of   
annoyance that arose. He didn't need company right now. He wanted time to   
think. For that he needed to be on his own, preferably with no distractions.   
He didn't have much choice though. Privacy was hard to get in such a small   
space.  
He turned around to acknowledge whoever it was. To his surprise, Haruka   
was standing before him. Her hair was slightly out of place from lying on it   
and she wasn't quite as intimidating as she was wearing pajamas at this point,   
but it was undoubtedly her. At least, he hoped that it was her.  
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, attempting to sound sympathetic. It was   
difficult, knowing the record he and the outer senshi had of cooperation. She   
glared at him, indicating that he voice was a noise she would rather not hear.   
He took the hint, wondering why she was being so hostile. Under the best of   
circumstances they had never gotten along. Under the worst…it was painful for   
both sides.  
Seiya didn't move though. If Haruka wanted to stay here, fine. He wasn't   
about to leave just because she felt like being a bitch about everything though.   
He wouldn't let her be an inconvenience to him. Apparently she felt the same   
way because she stubbornly remained. Seiya decided to try holding a   
conversation again. Haruka wasn't a bad person, he was sure of that. After   
seeing the way she sacrificed herself, he was certain that there was more to the   
outers than one might believe at first glance.   
"We'll be there by tomorrow," he commented. She said nothing. "Not that   
there are days in space, but by earth time it will be the next day." Haruka   
didn't turn her head.  
"Do you think she'll be all right?" the blond haired woman asked. To   
Seiya's surprise, she didn't sound sarcastic. Her voice was sincere and   
slightly choked with emotion.  
"Who? Michiru-san?" Haruka turned to face him. For an instant, he   
glimpsed a strange expression on her face. It was a bizarre combination of   
pain, grief and anger. It was only there for a second though. She quickly   
smoothed it over with a more placid expression.  
"All of them. The queen, Hotaru, Small lady…I would have thought the   
queen meant more to you than…Michiru." Seiya looked at her in confusion, not   
quite sure what she meant. All of a sudden, he understood completely.  
"Ano, I don't think that our relationship is what you think it is. We're   
not…" he said, he voice trailing off. Why should she be reassured by him of all   
people? She had never trusted him before and old habits-especially hers-didn't   
die easily.   
"Who do you think it is?" she said. Her rapid change of topics was a bit   
startling, but Seiya wasn't terribly surprised. She had a lot to think about   
and somehow needed to get it all out.  
"I have my suspicions," he answered. "Have you considered your own   
daughter?" Haruka flinched a bit, like she didn't want to answer his question.  
"Yes, of course. Everyone here is under suspicion though. That includes   
you," she snapped.  
"You're dodging the subject," he replied irritably. "She's one of the   
most likely people here. After all, didn't you think that it was odd that she   
wanted Small Lady dead? Even for someone in that much pain, it's too extreme."  
"I know. If you do anything to harm her or frighten my child…" she left   
the threat hanging. She didn't need to finish it. Seiya was perfectly aware of   
how ruthless she could be. Realizing that they were getting no where, Seiya   
decided to back off.  
"I won't do anything without Michiru-san's or your consent. Don't be so   
jumpy." With that, he walked off. He hated admitting defeat on even the   
smallest of issues, but it didn't pay to be stupid in times like this.  
"And Seiya," she said. "Stay away from Michiru." He did not respond.   
What was the point in trying to convince her?  
* * * * *  
Michiru listened as the sound of her partner's feet on the metallic floor   
of the ship faded. The instant she was certain that Haruka was gone she sprang   
out of the narrow cot. She pulled a small wand out of her clothing and held it   
up above her head. She quietly whispered the words she had repeated a hundred   
times before. In a flash of blue light and illusionary water, she transformed   
into a sailor senshi.  
She ached to tell Haruka about this but she couldn't. She might not be able to   
tell if her it was really the person she loved or merely an imposter. Her   
mirror could detect any illusion, but if it was a well crafted one it might   
elude her for a while. By then it would already be too late.  
She was surprisingly graceful even on the awkward perch of the cot. She   
quickly estimated the distance between her and the vent and figured out the   
amount of force she would need. Without hesitating, she leapt from the cot to   
the vent, grasping it with her finger tips. It was all done in one silent,   
fluid motion. She might not match the wind senshi for athletic ability, but she   
was hardly weak.   
Deftly, she unscrewed the cover of the vent and crawled in. She knew that   
it was far too small to hold her. That wouldn't be a problem though. She   
closed her eyes and focused on her body and the size of the passage.   
Cautiously, she let some of her energy flow onto her. Slowly, she shrank. It   
wasn't a terribly dramatic change, but it would allow her to move freely, at   
least enough to find a little girl.   
She knew that it wasn't the best of ideas. A thousand things could go   
wrong at any given point. Has my common sense abandoned me in my hour of need?   
she thought wryly. It did seem like something she wouldn't do. It was far too   
risky and the odds against her finding Chibi-Usa were great. Still, she felt a   
strange protectiveness of the child. Perhaps it was the fact that she knew that   
it could have been Hotaru in that position. Perhaps it was the part of her that   
longed for a child to protect of her own. Even she didn't know at that point.   
All she knew was that Chibi-Usa was dying and she needed to reach before it was   
too late.  
Beads of perspiration dripped down her forehead as she forced her body to   
maintain its current size. Once, she lapsed and instantly could not fit in the   
tunnel. It was a painful experience that she did not intend to repeat.   
After what seemed like an eternity, she heard some shuffling ahead of her.   
Feeling new strength come with her refreshed hope, she surged towards the noise.   
As she turned around the final corner she wondered what awaited her. The   
thought that they might not be able to save the princess was too much.  
She was shocked to find that the pink haired princess was not the one she   
had heard. Instead, someone far less innocent was crouched in the pipe.   
Neptune had seen her before, staring back at her from behind the glass of her   
mirror. Her black hair, purple eyes and her body were unmistakable.  
"Neptune?! Nan de-" Neptune felt a flash of rage at this being. She   
wasn't going to give her the chance to explain, she didn't deserve it.  
"Deep Submerge!" she yelled, her voice resounding off the pipes. The ball   
of blue energy slammed into the dark princess and sent her flying into a   
wreckage of twisted, destroyed pipe. Apparently she wasn't as strong as Neptune   
had guessed. With a cry of surprise mingled with pain, she collapsed and was   
instantly unconscious. Neptune crawled over to her. This seemed a little too   
easy. Could her opponent be only pretending to sleep?   
The princess really had been knocked out though. Neptune grabbed the   
slumped body and slung it over one shoulder. She was rarely ruthless, but under   
these circumstances she felt no pity for this creature. After what they had all   
gone through seemingly at her command, she deserved whatever cards fate dealt   
her.  
Neptune could not crawl out of the tunnel dragging her burden though. She   
was having enough difficulties fitting through the narrow pipes without an   
additional person. She only had one choice, though she didn't like it. She   
closed her eyes and focused on every detail she could recall of her room. She   
wished desperately that she had bothered to form a better mental image before   
leaving. Having a blurred or unclear image when one teleported could result in   
going to going to the wrong destination or even the wrong dimension.   
Her body wavered slightly, flickering like a candle in a storm. Slowly,   
the princess and she faded from the pipe and appeared in her room. With a small   
crash she landed on the floor. There were tiny beads of sweat on her face and   
she was exhausted both mentally and physically. The prolonged use of that one   
size-changing spell had taken its toll.  
She wanted to cry out, to say something, anything. She felt so weak   
though. Her muscles screamed in protest at the very concept of movement. She   
knew that she needed to sleep, but she did not have the time.  
Painfully, she forced her body off the steel mesh that some people thought   
resembled a floor. She dragged herself to her feet, supporting the majority of   
her weight on one corner of the cot. Once up, she walked-perhaps staggered   
would be a more appropriate phrase-towards the door, to find someone, anyone.   
As she approached the door, it swung open and Haruka stepped in.   
"Michiru? What happened to you?" she asked, startled. Neptune smiled.   
It was different from her normal smile though. This was a harsher look worn   
down from weariness. She waved a gloved hand in the direction of the   
unconscious body on the floor.   
"I believe that I have found the our uninvited guest." Without bothering   
to turn back, she went to her cot and fell asleep. Haruka shook her slightly,   
attempting to wake her. She should have known better, unless she sensed   
something, her partner slept like a rock.   
Haruka grinned a little with relief. The grin vanished though when she   
remembered something else. Hotaru, she realized suddenly. If she is innocent   
then…  
* * * * *  
Haruka violently shoved the door out of her way. She was slightly out of   
breath and her bangs were dampened with sweat. Inside of the room her child lay   
on the bed under the cheaply made blankets. Her sheets were tangle from her   
fitful sleep and her face was slightly streaked with tears.  
Slowly, her eyes opened to take in the room around her. She moved her   
head slightly to stare at Haruka. For a moment, it seemed as if she did not   
even recognize the one who had cared for her for years. Suddenly, understanding   
filled her face. She gasped slightly and tears began to stream from her eyes.   
"Haruka!" she cried. She struggled to sit up, but was too weak. Her body   
would not allow it. Gently, Haruka placed her hand on her back and helped her   
rise. She wrapped her arms around Haruka's neck and began sobbing, her body   
trembling.  
She was so fragile, Haruka realized. It seemed as though she were made of   
glass and could shatter at any second.   
"Chibimoon! Where's Sailorchibimoon? Please, tell me!" she pleaded.   
Haruka hesitated. She had never been one to beat around the bush or lie without   
cause though. Now was not a good time to start.  
"I don't know where she is right now…" she said quietly. She didn't turn   
her head away, but she wanted to. The look on Hotaru's face was painful to see.   
Even though she was an adult now, she still felt like the little girl who   
Michiru had brought home one day at times. She almost winced thinking of   
Michiru. She had been trying not to consider such possibilities.  
"Please, tell me what happened to her," she said, quivering slightly.   
"You can tell me the truth. I need to know. I need to help her!"   
"Hotaru, where have you been for the past few days?" Haruka asked. She   
hadn't intended to sound that harsh. Hotaru looked confused.  
"I don't…I don't know. I was at the party and I went outside for a few   
minutes. Then…then…I don't remember." So, Seiya's suspicions might have been   
correct, she thought.  
"Haruka-san!" someone called. Yaten paused at the door, uncertain whether   
to enter or not. He had disregarded his ruffled appearance for once, indicating   
an emergency. "We're about to land!"  
* * * * *  
Uranus tensed slightly as she watched their destination grow from a tiny   
speck to a massive object obscuring their view of everything else. It was   
impossible for them to actually land on the planet Saturn as the core was buried   
under layers of gas, but that did not prevent them from entering the castle   
itself. The castle was built on an artificial moon which orbited the planet.   
It was large enough to have almost as much gravity as earth, even without all of   
the spells attached to it.  
Despite its spacious appearance though, virtually no one chose to dwell on   
near Saturn's castle. Few were born there and many left the place as soon as   
possible. It was not a pleasant place after all.   
Certain people seemed to be drawn to it though. The outcasts of society,   
the mystics, the ambitious; all seemed to see something in it that no one else   
did. It was almost like it called to something deep inside these people, as if   
the planet itself was some piece of themselves that they were missing. These   
were the people who made up the bizarre community nearly that forsaken, eerie   
planet.   
Uranus had been there a few times, but had despised every moment of it.   
She had always felt like someone was watching her. She knew in the back of her   
mind that she was just being overly suspicious, but she could never shake the   
feeling off. Maybe it was just the people there. Their eyes were all shadowed   
and had an almost hollow look. They watched the people from outside of their   
small, dark world in an almost hungry way.   
Uranus remembered talking to a shrine maiden who lived there. The woman   
had claimed that there was something almost seductive about the place. It was   
like Nemesis in that sense. Most normal humans saw nothing attractive about it,   
yet there were certain people that seemed to like having it as a home.  
The ship found what appeared to be a landing pad and settled down. Uranus   
couldn't help but notice that their vehicle was not in excellent condition. The   
metal groaned in protest and the engines rattled slightly. Apparently it had   
not been in the best of condition when they'd left. Normally, it wouldn't have   
bothered Uranus so much. She was used to technical difficulties like these.   
Now though, if the ship should break they could be stranded on this desolate   
place for months. The prospect was one which did not interest her at all.  
Hotaru shuddered slightly. She winced as though in pain. She reached out   
to grab Uranus's hand.   
"Chibimoon…is she dead?" she whispered, horrified. Standing there, wide-  
eyed and trembling, she looked more like a child than ever before. It only   
served as a painful reminder of the childhood that she had never really had.   
Hotaru composed herself quickly though. The tiny tears that had been   
forming at the corners of her eyes dissolved and with tremendous effort she   
calmed down.   
Uranus grabbed the body of the dark princess. There were times were she   
wondered if their opponent was still alive. She hadn't moved for hours at this   
point. Her heart was still beating though and the irregular rising and falling   
of her chest indicated that she still lived. If she was simply recovering from   
energy drain, she was still a potential danger for the senshi.   
That was why they had decided to bring their worst enemy with them. If   
they left her in the ship and it turned out that she was not really unconscious,   
there was no way to know what traps she might lay in a short period of time.  
As if by some unspoken order, the senshi all stepped out onto the   
artificial ground at the same time. Out on the surface, the silence was   
deafening. The hum of the ship, the occasional sentence or two spoken out loud   
ceased. All sound died in their throats.   
There was something haunting about that place that none of them could ever   
identify. Perhaps it was the stillness that had descended upon the city. Or   
maybe it was the way the planet Saturn hung ominously in the sky, covering the   
stars. Whatever it was though, they all felt it. There was a dark, almost   
melancholy aura about this place.  
They began to wander through the streets of what had to be the capital.   
The buildings were mostly shrines or temples with small hovels scattered around   
the place. It was an odd patch work of stone that seemed like a labyrinth at   
the moment.   
"Hotaru, do you know where-" Uranus began. Hotaru simply nodded and lead   
them down one of the smaller alleyways. Their destination seemed to be a rather   
large, gothic style castle. Enormous, black turrets were crowned by white   
crystals which illuminated the darkened landscape, casting shadows. They were   
almost like stars of some kind. Uranus couldn't imagine what it would be like   
to have nothing but that as a source of light.   
Uranus looked over to Neptune, trying to make sure that no one else saw.   
Her partner seemed perfectly calm, but Uranus knew that it was an illusion. She   
was just as scared as they all were. She didn't say anything to Uranus though.   
Either she was trying not to worry the Starlights-though they were quite capable   
of handling fear at this point-or she was simply trying to distance herself from   
Uranus.  
Before the castle, she couldn't help but notice a statue towering over the   
land. It was an enormous figure of a woman holding a wickedly pointed glaive.   
Her face was emotionless, so blank and empty that it was uncanny.   
They walked inside to a dimly lit stone chamber. The place obviously   
hadn't been used for quite a while. There was a thick coat of dust on the floor   
and occasional glimmers of light revealed cobwebs dangling from various placed.   
Suddenly, Neptune froze. The light in her eyes dimmed until it vanished   
completely. The muscles in her became limp.  
"They're…here…" she said quietly. A spasm rippled through her body and   
her eyes widened. Neptune sank to her knees, seemingly oblivious to everything.  
Neptune inhaled deeply, struggling to gain control over her obvious terror.   
Slowly, she appeared to calm down. The tremors in her body came less often and   
her breathing became normal. She hadn't dispelled her fear of whatever her   
intuition warned her of though. She was merely concealing it for the benefit of   
everyone else.  
"I must go to Triton Castle. Something happened. My people…my people are   
dying. But someone is…here," she said, almost debating what to do. Uranus   
stood by, torn with indecision. She wanted to help Neptune somehow. She wanted   
to comfort her and promise her that she was there no matter what. Yet,   
something inside her prevented her from doing that. What if her thoughts about   
Seiya were accurate? What if Neptune-no, Michiru-wanted her to stay away? The   
rational part of her mind argued that she was being ridiculous, but she could   
not ignore the possibility.   
Neptune slowly looked up, despair etched her face. She lifted one finger   
to point at on of the shadowed corners of the temple. All of the senshi turned   
to see what it was, afraid of what they might find.  
It was too dark to see exactly what Neptune had pointed to. So, Uranus   
reluctantly left her partner to find out. She had a growing sense of unease   
about this whole situation. Even though their enemy still seemed to be asleep,   
she was certain that there was something wrong. In the corner she found a   
crystal slightly taller than her. She brushed some of the dust off of it,   
certain that she needed to see what was inside.  
There was a person in there, a woman who Uranus knew very, very well. Her   
eyes were frozen in an expression of shock, her mouth remained open in a scream   
that never reached her lips. Purple ribbons were suspended around her slight   
frame. The majority of a sailor fuku had already formed on her. One hand even   
held a translucent glaive.  
Uranus almost hit herself right then. She should have known, she should   
have realized it sooner. All of that time on the ship she had had the   
suspicion, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. She couldn't   
confront someone who might be her child saying that she didn't trust her. Now,   
everyone would pay simply because she wanted to avoid sacrifices.   
Suddenly, there was a whistling sound behind her and air brushed past her   
face. She turned around. She knew that she was a split second too slow, that   
she had no chance. Still, some desperate survival instinct compelled her to see   
what she was facing.  
It all happened far too fast for anyone to react. By the time Uranus was   
facing whatever had come at her, Neptune was already in the way, arms   
outstretched. Dozens of small, narrow projectiles pierced through her skin.   
The next moment seemed to happen in slow motion for Uranus. Blood,   
hideous, scarlet blood spurted from the wounds that covered her partners body.   
Neptune staggered slightly. She looked as if she would scream, but all that   
emerged from her throat was a choking noise. Someone cried out. The noise was   
beyond description in horror. It was filled with shock, agony and total   
despair. Uranus realized the cry was hers, but she didn't care anymore.  
Uranus rushed to Neptune's side, forgetting everything that had come   
between them for a moment. All that mattered was her partner, the one she   
loved. Everything else was unimportant right then. She tried to catch her, but   
the aquatic senshi fell too soon. Her body struck to the stone floor with a   
dull thud. Dust rose up from the floor, swirling around both of them.  
Uranus picked her up, cradling her as if she were a child. There was so   
much blood. It seemed like it was everywhere. It dripped from her short skirt   
and landed in pools on the floor. She stared at it in horror. Neptune's life   
was leaking away and there was nothing that she could do to prevent it.   
What could she do? She wasn't a damn healer! She was a senshi, a   
powerful warrior. How useless all of that was now. For all of her magic and   
experience, she was completely and utterly helpless. She could just watch.   
She turned her head away from the sight, unable to bear it. She needed   
something to fight. She needed to know who was responsible for this. An enemy   
of flesh and blood she could fight. Against injury she was powerless though.  
She turned to the dark princess lying crumpled on the floor and her heart   
sank. The princess's long, flowing black dress melted away into a tattered,   
ragged sailor fuku. Her hair lightened to become pink and her whole body   
shrunk. The one that they had treated so poorly was Chibi-Usa, their princess.   
Which meant that Seiya had been right after all.  
Hotaru was standing in the center of the temple, smiling slightly. A   
flickering light surrounded her tiny body and her eyes began to glow. Within   
several seconds her obviously fake appearance had dissolved to reveal their true   
enemy.  
The girl who appeared was about Usagi's height, though she seemed taller   
somehow. She was probably around Usagi's age. Her skin was a little pale, as   
if she hadn't been out in any sort of light for years. Her hair was incredibly   
long. If it had not been pinned up it probably would have reached her feet.   
The black dress she wore suited her well. It went down to her feet, but had two   
long slits up the sides. She had no sleeves, but two translucent, black ribbons   
covered the area below her shoulders. Around her neck there was a very   
noticeable choker made out of diamond shaped black crystals that were shimmering   
slightly. Uranus barely saw any of that though. What caught her attention were   
the girl's eyes. They had a look that told of lost innocence and bitterness   
deep inside. There was something else in those eyes though. There was a   
soulless, cold, empty appearance to them.  
The girl made some gesture with her hand. In an instant, Neptune   
vanished. There was no bright light or indication of something that was about   
to happen. She was simply there one moment and gone the next.  
Uranus didn't bother to think of any consequences, the time for that was   
gone. All she knew was that Neptune was not there. She couldn't protect her in   
anyway, she couldn't tell her how much she loved her. She couldn't even say   
good-bye. A blazing, irrational fury erupted inside of her. She lashed out at   
the princess without hesitating.  
"World Shaking!" she yelled. The familiar yellow energy condensed in her   
clenched fist and flew at her target. This time though, it never connected.   
The princess held out one hand and blocked Uranus easily.   
"Baka," she snapped coldly. "You'll have to do more than that to defeat   
me." Her eyes stared straight at Uranus, ignoring the Starlights and the   
unconscious pink haired child. It took Uranus a moment to understand what was   
going on because it was so painfully similar to an emotion she must have had   
once. This demon, or whatever she was, was challenging her. She was daring her   
to equal her.  
Damn bitch, Uranus thought icily. You'll regret that. I'll take your   
challenge, and I'll show you what happens when you hurt my family!  
"World Shaking!" she repeated. This time though she didn't wait for   
impact. She launched herself into the air as only she could. It might not be   
as sophisticated, but kicking someone in the skull would be enough to knock them   
out for quite a while.  
The princess seemed to be ready for her though for she stepped to the side   
at the last second. Uranus was unable to break her momentum, but did manage to   
land on her feet. Shimatta! She's quicker than I thought, Uranus thought   
grimly. The senshi of the sky wasted no time. She lunged for the princess   
again, a large ball of golden energy in her hand. The dark girl shimmered   
faintly before levitating off the ground several feet. Once again, Uranus had   
failed.  
Sweat was collecting on her forehead as Uranus prepared to attack again.   
This opponent was not as weak as she appeared to be. She had to defeat her   
though, somehow.   
Her mind was not one the battle though. She could still see those   
horrible images flashing before her. She could still see Neptune fall, she   
could still hear the final, strangled cry she uttered. Every single detail of   
the scene came unbidden to her.   
"What did you do to her?!" Uranus demanded, her anger mounting. Neptune   
was dying and she couldn't do anything about it. Once again-it seemed like it   
had happened a hundred times before-she was completely helpless.  
The princess merely smiled that irritatingly smug smile of hers.   
"What did you do?!" Uranus screamed. Her rage was growing stronger as was   
her grief. She couldn't think clearly. Everything was muddled together in a   
rush of emotions that she couldn't even begin to understand. There was one   
thing that she did understand though. Through her hysteria and fear, she   
remembered how to fight.   
She was acting all on instinct now. She swept her sword up in an arc.   
The princess moved to block her again, but failed. Instead she did something   
almost comical. She stumbled on the hem of her gown. It was funny, Uranus   
reflected. It was something that Usagi would do. It was the same kind of   
clumsy, foolish mistake that her princess would have made. For a second, just a   
brief flash, she could almost see Usagi in that same position. She could   
picture her startled expression, her innocence.  
She shook off the feeling and launched a "world shaking" at her fallen   
opponent. The princess fell to the ground before she had a chance to block it.   
She focused all of her fury, all of her anguish on the shining sword in her   
clenched hands. With that done, she leapt through the air, landing easily on   
top of the dark girl. She put her sword's tip directly over the girl's pulsing   
heart.  
"Give her back," she hissed. She was painfully aware of the agony in her   
heart. She did not respond to it though. There was no time to be sentimental,   
not now. A senshi didn't have room for emotions that would cloud her judgment.   
A senshi had to be beyond dreams, beyond pain, almost beyond life so that others   
could have such luxuries.  
Once again though, Uranus thought she could see Usagi in the same   
position. It was true perhaps that there was a resemblance between the two   
people. This twisted menace might have once possessed Usagi's hopefulness and   
naivety. Those traits were long gone from her hardened face and eyes though.   
She was beyond them. She was the perfect warrior, or was she?  
A tiny spasm rippled across the princess's face. The light in her collar   
flickered and died out briefly. For a moment, she looked confused.  
"You're weak," she snapped. "You love that woman, admit it." Uranus   
forced the tip of her sword down further, drawing a few tiny droplets of blood   
above the girl's skin and leaving a hole in her garment. Her enemy still   
refused to show any fear.  
"You might even be willing to lose a battle for her sake, ne?"  
"These may be your last words, are you sure that this is what you want to   
say?" Uranus said. "This battle is not one I'm going to lose though. As a   
sailor senshi, I will do my duty." It was true. She hated killing on any   
occasion, but sometimes it was necessary. Now that the adrenaline granted by   
her rage was slowly draining out of her system, she no longer felt anger. She   
merely felt…hollow, empty and tired. Every time she killed she felt more of   
that. Still, if it was needed this time, she wouldn't hesitate.  
"Ara," she smiled. "I was disappointed, but I guess you'll be a worthy   
opponent after all. Let's see what you do when facing your own partner though."   
Uranus realized with sudden dread just how this was going to end.   
"Kami-sama…" she whispered, unsure of whether it was a curse or a prayer.   
"What have I done to deserve this fate? The air in the center of the room   
glittered slightly, as if there were some light source that she could not see.   
After a few seconds, a teal crystal materialized there. Uranus knew who was   
inside of it. She couldn't bring herself to see it though. Not after all that   
they'd been through…Michiru, you can't just die like this.  
She kept her sword in position, ignoring the Starlights cries of shock.   
Her hands were trembling though. Her bloodied, filthy hands could not remain   
focused with Michiru possibly dead.  
The princess smiled unpleasantly again. She raised one hand and began to close   
her fingers. Uranus heard a crunching sound behind her. She flicked a quick   
glance at the crystal and saw that her guess was accurate. Neptune was   
imprisoned within the crystal, frozen. It would have been a good thing, if not   
for the fact that cracks were now visible along the surface of the crystal.  
"Fighter! Healer! Maker!" she yelled. The Starlights nodded, for once not   
bothering to question her orders. There was no time for questions, not now.   
She could only pray that they knew what to do.  
The princess tightened her fist causing tiny fragments of the crystal to fly   
off. Uranus forced her sword farther down. For a few seconds, no one moved.   
The scene seemed to freeze as both sides remained poised to finish the other   
off.   
"Star Serious Laser!" Fighter yelled. The princess beneath Uranus's feet   
actually grinned. Right before the attack connected with her skull, she   
vanished. One of Uranus's boots slammed into the floor as it no longer had any   
support. The senshi swore under her breath and turned to see where the girl had   
gone to. She could still win this. She could beat this child.  
The girl did not appear though, at least not right away. After a few moments   
confusion on the part of the senshi, she made herself known. A violent   
explosion came from no where. Radiant violet energy expanded outward from the   
center of the room, sending the senshi flying backwards, thrown forcefully   
against the walls behind them. The explosion did not stop there though. It   
tore through the walls of the room, devouring the chamber and turning it into   
nothing but rubble by the massive castle.  
Silence, again, Uranus thought as she dragged herself out of the debris. It's   
like there isn't another soul in this cursed place. I suppose it's a   
possibility at this point.  
A few minutes later the other senshi emerged from their potential grave. Uranus   
said nothing for them, but did make sure that they all came out eventually.   
Their fukus might be covered with dirt from the wreckage and they might have   
some minor injuries, but at least they were alive. Even Chibi-Usa had managed   
to survive since Fighter had brought her up.  
All of a sudden, Uranus rushed over to a selected spot in the rubble and began   
to dig frantically. With incredible strength she lifted the pieces of stone   
from the ground and discarded them carelessly. She worked quickly, far faster   
than any normal human could have done anyways. She wasn't going quickly enough   
though. The more time that went by, the more the pressure would push down upon   
whatever lay buried down there.  
She noticed Hotaru's prison in the stones. She removed it, relieved that it was   
intact. It didn't help Michiru though. Her gloves were beginning to wear thin,   
but she didn't even notice. Nothing mattered outside of getting Michiru out.   
The rational part of her already knew that there wasn't much hope unless the   
crystal was very strong. She couldn't bring herself to accept that idea. She   
couldn't think about it.   
She was going so slowly! It would take her forever to remove enough of this!   
She tried to speed up, but found that her strength had betrayed her. Her limbs   
were already weakened from the tiring work and could not move any faster. Her   
gloves finally gave out. They were still attached to her wrists, but only as   
useless pieces of battered cloth. Her hands began to get cut by some of the   
sharper rocks. Blood dripped from her fingers and the pain caused her to slow   
down even more.  
Uranus felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as the hopelessness finally   
began to overcome her. She couldn't cry though. Senshi didn't have time for   
tears.   
Finally, Fighter crawled over towards her. She barely had the strength to stand   
as she had not been fortunate enough to be buried near the surface. She still   
had to help though. She didn't say anything, she just began to dig. A few   
seconds later, Healer and Maker came over. Uranus would have resented their   
presence, but she didn't have time for such emotions right now. She had to   
focus all of her energy on one task.  
They worked for another half hour, struggling to continue, but enduring. Soon,   
all of their hands and knees were encrusted with a mixture of liquid and dry   
blood. Even the Starlight's thick, leather gloves eventually wore down. After   
all of that work, they still had not found any sign of Neptune or her crystal.   
It was encouraging at least that they had found no fragments, but they were   
still worried at the fact that they should have uncovered something by then.  
"Looking for someone?" a voice queried. Uranus lifted her head up to see who it   
was. The princess was back, hovering about thirty feet in the air. Next to her   
was the crystal and it's precious contents that they had been searching for.  
Uranus bit her lip until blood came from it. She couldn't beg, not now. If   
this…creature knew how desperate she was, she'd never get Neptune back and   
remain intact. She needed someway to bargain, and she didn't have it.  
"Baka! Do you really think that I'd let one of you slip through my fingers?"   
she laughed. Her voice suddenly grew quieter. "I would be willing let her live   
though. You were admirable, Uranus, to resist the impulse to run to her. You   
knew of course that I would have destroyed her if you left, but it still proves   
that you were strong to stay. I could use the help of someone like you. If you   
come to me without resistance, I shall allow your partner to serve me also."   
Uranus took one hesitant step foreword. Something was wrong here. If this   
princess was as capable as she seemed to be, she wouldn't trust her enemy.   
That was when she noticed a several tiny sparks of light on the girl's right   
hand. Of course she'd get a spell ready in advance. She thinks that I'm going   
to fall for it again though. Uranus nodded and began to walk foreword.   
Carefully, she built a small shield around her. She couldn't use defensive   
magic on the same scale as Saturn, but this should keep her alive.  
The princess whipped out her charged hand and send a strong blast of energy   
directly at Uranus. Uranus was knocked backwards and badly injured but was   
conscious at least.   
"Damn you," the girl hissed, clenching her fists. "I won't be defeated by scum   
like you." With that, she placed both hands on the crystal. Cracks began to   
branch out from her fingers, distorting the image of Neptune. Uranus looked up   
in horror. No! She needs her to bargain, why is she going to kill her!   
Michiru!  
The collar around the princess's neck and the two bracelets on her wrist began   
to shine again, their light increasing in intensity. Uranus waited for her to   
stop, to give up on this pointless threat, but she didn't. The cracks around   
the crystal were beginning to widen and pieces were starting to fall off. One   
landed at Uranus's feet. A small shred of teal cloth had gotten caught on the   
shard. The cloth was damp and crimson in some places. Uranus sank to the   
ground, stunned.  
"Kami-sama," she whispered to herself. "She really will…" It was then that   
Uranus's firm control over her emotions snapped. She could stare down any   
demon, any monster, but this was too much. Her muscles tensed as she prepared   
to jump. Like a spring, she rocketed into the air, her feet separating from the   
ground.   
Fighter stared at her, transfixed by what she saw. For one brief instant, she   
was more than human. Her body was still there. She was still solid and very   
real, but Fighter could sense that there was something more to her. It was as   
if the wind itself was a part of her and fighting with a passion as only it   
could to regain its other half.   
Fighter shook herself out of her daze and into reality. Forgetting the almost   
surreal beauty of the moment, she realized the problem at hand. Haruka didn't   
seem like the kind of person to lose her head easily. She understood the need   
to make sacrifices and was able to ignore her own emotions and sentiments for   
logic. When it came to Michiru though, her common sense seemed to abandon her.   
Fighter had never liked Uranus particularly, but in a strange way she thought   
she understood her. Perhaps it was that moment before she died when she had   
smiled slightly and entrusted her princess's safety into her hands. Maybe it   
was the fierce protectiveness she had shown after that one concert. Whatever it   
was though, she felt a certain empathy for her at that moment and also knew just   
what she was going to do.  
Uranus sailed upward, ignoring everything but the single-minded desire to get   
Michiru back. Suddenly, something slammed into her, the impact knocking her in   
the wrong direction. She yelled out unexpectedly as the additional weight   
dragged her back down to earth. She turned her head slightly to see Fighter   
forcing her down onto the ground. She struggled, but was already pinned.  
"Let me go!" she shouted furiously.   
"How stupid do you think I am? If I do that, you'll go right back up and kill   
yourself! There's no point in that! That's what she wants." Uranus lay pinned   
to the ground, agonizing over what might happen to Neptune for the next minute   
or so. She fought at first, trying desperately to throw Fighter off. The   
Starlight had her in a bad position though and she remained trapped. Finally,   
she just went limp. The energy given to her by raw emotion was gone and she   
felt like just felt like sobbing.  
"I won't go," she said finally. Fighter hesitated, but released her. The   
leather clad senshi looked at her back almost sadly. It wasn't as if I could   
hold her there forever. She is the wind, changeable, fierce and predictably   
unpredictable. Anyone can imprison her, but she'll always slip through there   
fingers.  
Uranus saw the Starlights launching various attacks at their foe without   
success. The strange girl hadn't been bluffing all of this time, she was   
powerful and dangerous. The massive quantities of energy she harnessed were   
slightly unrefined, but deadly none the less. Forcing herself to ignore the   
partially destroyed crystal, she gathered magic into her hand for an attack.   
Abruptly, the princess stopped firing. She shuddered slightly, a look of   
bewilderment spreading across her face. Slowly the look was replaced by fury   
again though. The empty look entered her eyes once again. She whirled around   
and placed both hands on the already damaged crystal. Her eyes began to glow a   
fearsome color and energy began to accumulate on her hands.  
Uranus struggled to control herself. One half of her wanted desperately   
to jump up there, to attempt to free Neptune even if it cost her own life. The   
other half knew that it was irrational and foolish. How could she even think of   
such a thing? She was a senshi, was she not? A senshi had to make sacrifices   
for the greater good. Hadn't she made that pact with Neptune all of those years   
ago?  
Still, if she did nothing Neptune would die. She would have to watch as   
her own lover was torn to pieces. How could she do that? More importantly, how   
could she go on living with nothing to go back to? She had her duty, but wasn't   
her duty to the one she loved even more important?  
It will only result in two deaths! she thought savagely. I have no way to   
save her! I'll simply endanger the Starlights and all of the planets. I'm a   
senshi! Senshi don't have time for sentimentality! I can't just break down and   
cry when someone dies! Sacrifices have to be made! Just then, she remembered   
what had happened only a few minutes before. She remembered Neptune's broken,   
bloody body falling limply to the ground. She had fallen protecting her. She   
had done everything…for what? To give some small hope to her partner? No,   
because she loved her.  
All this time I doubted her. I should have known better. She trusted me   
all of this time, yet I could not return that trust. Why was I so blind?  
She turned her eyes up to Neptune once more. For once, she tried to   
forget everything. She wasn't a senshi, she wasn't a queen, she was simply   
Tenoh Haruka. Now, it was time to make up for all of her misunderstandings.   
After all, what would she have if Michiru was dead? Her duty? Yes, she might   
have that, but she would not have life. Life would be merely a hollow, empty   
routine without Michiru. Without her partner, her other half, she wasn't even   
alive.  
She jumped again, sailing through the air with an ease and grace that once   
she could only have dreamed of. This time it was not merely a reaction the pain   
and turmoil within her, it was a conscious decision that she knew she had to   
make. Now that she was certain of what she was doing, nothing could hold her   
back. Fighter tried to knock her down again, only to collide with the dirt.   
How ironic, she thought. I am only truly free when helping the one I'm   
tied down to. With that final thought, she slammed her sword into the   
princess's hand. Perhaps it was the girl's concentration on destroying the   
crystal, or maybe it was simply such an illogical thing for her to do that her   
opponent never expected it.  
Whatever the reason though, the girl did not have enough time to react and   
block her strike. Blood spurted from the ugly gash along her wrist. She pulled   
back, clutching her wounded hand.   
Uranus floated easily over to the crystal and placed her two raw hands on   
its smooth surface. Only now did she see Neptune's face. She was wincing   
slightly and her mouth was set in a grimace from the pain. It hurt to see her   
so close to death, to look at her like that. And yet, she thought she saw a   
faint trace of happiness in Neptune's half open eye's.   
"Go home," Uranus whispered. She searched for power that she knew must be   
deep inside of her, power that could help Neptune. She was drained though. The   
battle and her search through the rubble had left her mentally and physically   
exhausted. She looked at Neptune's face once again and a sense of despair   
filled her. Her sacrifice was worthless.  
She placed her lips on the cold surface of the crystal. She couldn't   
reach out to touch Neptune, but at least she could be close to her when she   
died. In that brief moment, she felt a faint wisp of strength. She pulled it   
out of herself, feeling her body sag slightly, and poured it into the crystal.   
Neptune and her prison flickered then vanished.  
Uranus smiled a little. It was pointless, what she had just done.   
Absolutely pointless. She had only bought a little time. Still, she felt a   
certain reassurance now. She waited for a moment. Finally, out of the silence   
of the planet, she heard the sound she was listening for. It was a soft   
whistling sound, the sound something makes when it flies through the air too   
quickly. She already knew that it was too late, but she didn't care anymore.  
A massive crystal pierced her flesh from the back. It severed bone and   
tissue alike then dissolved into nothingness once its work was finished. She   
smiled that tiny, enigmatic smile once again. After a moment, she plummeted   
towards the ground.  
The wind whipped by her as she fell, toying with her hair, her battered   
body and fuku. There was a sound in that soulless air that rushed by her   
though: screaming. The wind was shrieking in an uncannily human way as she   
echoed its cry silently. She lifted one hand, feeling it rush through her   
fingers. It's like the wind on the sea, crying out for what it has lost, she   
thought weakly. She breathed in its scent; her last breath. I'm going to die,   
aren't I? Yes, my body is too weak to continue. It doesn't matter anymore   
though. Without Michiru, what do I have to live for?  
So, she fell, an angel with blood stained wings, with a blood stained   
soul. Without regret, without hope, she fell towards death. But she didn't   
care anymore. In her own strange, bitter way, she was content.   
* * * * *  
"Damn it, Haruka!" Seiya growled under his breath. He slammed the lever   
foreword once again. The ship's engine's sputtered slightly, protesting their   
abuse. The noise continued for a minute or so before dying as it had the past   
few times. Seiya swore again and forced the useless control foreword. The   
ship's engine faltered, but finally came to life in a blast of sound and light.   
With a roar, the ship accelerated, throwing it's crew back violently. Within   
seconds, they were through the atmospheric shield surrounding Titan Castle and   
back in the oblivion of space.  
Seiya flipped on the autopilot and stormed out of the chamber. He walked   
into the room where Haruka was. He didn't want to go there, but somehow he felt   
obligated to.  
Inside, Haruka was sprawled across one of the tiny cots. She had numerous   
bandages covering her deathly white skin, but the blood still flowed through   
them. The only sign that she was still alive was the occasional effort at   
breathing she made. Even with her superior healing abilities, it didn't look   
good.  
It was funny, she didn't look very threatening then. The snarl or guarded   
anger he usually saw on her face were gone. Her tensed muscles were limp,   
though one hand still clutched her sheathed sword tightly. Seiya had to admit   
that it was quite a change. He was accustomed her to slightly arrogant   
attitude. He had often looked at her as a pain to deal with, but also a   
potential danger. He would never have told her that of course, but when they   
first encountered the outer senshi, they had been slightly afraid of them. They   
were not as naïve as their dear, little princess.   
Now though, she looked like a child. Her face was still hardened and it   
lacked the innocence that Usagi possessed, but it had a kinder expression on it   
at least. Perhaps there had been a day, a long forgotten day from centuries   
ago, when her face had looked like this even when she was awake. Seiya had long   
ago realized that there was more to Haruka then they realized, but had never   
bothered to wonder what.  
Haruka's body jerked violently, then lay still. He grabbed her hand,   
checking the wrist for a pulse. For a moment, he felt nothing and really   
thought she had died. Finally, he felt a faint, rhythmic twitch beneath her   
skin. She was alive for now at least.  
What scared him was that she might die. She had always seemed invincible.   
She was simply too proud to let something like death claim her. But it was a   
possibility now. In fact, it was highly likely. Not only was her body badly   
injured, but she didn't seem to care if she lived or died. On that planet, it   
had seemed almost like she waited for the attack to come. It wasn't something   
he liked to consider though.  
Haruka opened her eyes for a second. They were empty, dark eyes devoid of   
any emotion. After a second, her eyelids closed once more and she returned to   
her uneasy sleep.  
"You know, Michiru-san will never forgive you if you just die like this.   
You two have been through far too much to just give up," he snapped irritably.   
She almost certainly couldn't hear him, but Seiya secretly thought that she did.   
It seemed that a little bit of color returned to her face. It was a comforting   
sign. If Haruka had a reason to fight for living, death itself would be afraid   
to take her.  
* * * * *  
"Daijobu, Hime-sama?" Tanzanite asked. Adularia cringed a bit. She had   
hoped that her wound would not be noticeable. In a few days it would be fully   
healed, but at that point there was still an ugly gash. How embarrassing, to be   
injured by a regular senshi when she had planned everything out so perfectly.  
"I'm fine, it's nothing," she said quickly. Tanzanite raised an eyebrow   
inquiringly.   
"One of these days you're going to bleed to death from one of these   
'nothings'. I have yet to hear you acknowledge pain until you're unable to   
stand. Now, let me see it." Adularia hesitated, clutching her immobile arm.   
After a second or two, she let Tanzanite examine it.  
The older woman gently checked the severed and burnt flesh before turning   
to look at Adularia.  
"How did you get this?" Seeing no point in beating around the bush,   
Adularia answered the question directly.  
"That damn senshi, Sailor Uranus, I think. I almost had her, but she   
managed to get me before I could do anything."  
"You were lucky that the demon lent you so much power. Anyone would have   
trouble fighting that many senshi. They're strong. Next time, I'm not sure   
you'll be so fortunate." Tanzanite said nothing for a while after that. She   
sat, staring off into space, contemplating something.  
Adularia was silent also. She knew that the red haired woman would reveal   
her thoughts in due time, if she felt like it. It wouldn't be wise to force   
her. Besides, she wasn't sure she had the energy to speak right then. Her   
weakness was catching up with her. All of the telltale signs were there. Her   
chest had tightened, making it difficult to breath and her skin had grown cold.  
She sank to her knees, feeling her energy drain from her far more quickly   
than usual. This attack was worse than usual, but she could endure it. Her   
people had to endure more pain than this, so she should not be selfish and beg   
for help like an infant over such a small thing.   
Tanzanite watched as the princess suffer, her life-force being dragged   
from her fragile body. She looked like a ghost, her face sunken and wraithlike.   
She couldn't survive many more attacks like this, though she was unwilling to   
admit it. Mars's captor briefly considered helping her. But that would be too   
much. The demon would never tolerate it. Besides, she didn't feel like dying   
just yet. She still had one thing to accomplish before she could ever be truly   
happy.  
Adularia looked up at her, her eyes begging the warrior not to tell of   
this weakness to anyone. Through her strained gasps, she managed to get a few   
words out.  
"I…have to go back to their ship. The one senshi…is good enough to be one   
of us," she said. After concentrating, she slowly faded from the scene, leaving   
Tanzanite alone.  
Tanzanite checked to make sure that no one was watching, then pressed her   
hand against a rock sticking out of the hewn wall. Reddish light flickered over   
the surface and the wall disappeared to reveal a large chamber. Tanzanite   
looked nervously at the massive, black crystal. It's appearance was   
intimidating enough, but to anyone with even the slightest magical ability it   
was terrifying. The thing wreaked of raw, untamed power. It was capable of   
more destruction than most creatures could dream of.  
Tanzanite knew that if she so much as touched it, it would undoubtedly   
kill her. Her body might be able to contain the power of a single senshi, but   
that kind of energy was more than she could control. After all, no one of their   
clan had ever been able to truly control the Black Poison crystal. The princess   
would be able to though, Tanzanite was confident of that. But she would never   
have the chance to use her birthright. She would die before she claimed her   
throne.  
* * * * *  
"Do you know how she is?" Taiki asked. Yaten lowered the book hiding his   
face, revealing two livid, emerald eyes. He turned his head away from the   
taller Starlight and snorted quietly.  
"She'll live, maybe," he snapped. Yaten's eyes quivered slightly, the ice   
melting for an instant. "It's her own fault though!" He dropped the book,   
slamming into the firm surface of the couch. He began to pace back and forth,   
still appearing furious and also worried at the same time.   
"Calm down, there's nothing we can do."  
"You're damn right there's nothing we can do! There's nothing anybody can   
do!" he yelled, frustrated. "It was so stupid of her! She'll probably die now,   
and for what? Nothing! Neptune's also dead and now she's going to follow!" He   
sat down again, energy drained from his brief outburst. Taiki simply watched.   
It was uncommon of Yaten to do such a thing, but understandable.  
Yaten ran his hands through his silvery hair, forcing himself to regain   
his composure.  
"Why?" he whispered. "Isn't it best to survive? To just keep going? I   
didn't think I'd ever be sorry to see the Outers go but…why did they have to die   
like this? Couldn't she at least have just left, survived without her partner?"  
Taiki wanted to provide an explanation, but had none. At least her   
could have given Yaten some support, but he too was just as haunted by what   
might have been two of the Outer senshi's final minute's of life. Though he had   
not cared for either, he had admired Michiru as an artist her partner for her   
aloofness at times. To see them torn apart like that…  
"Gomen," Yaten said abruptly. "I'm acting like Seiya, too immature. I   
need to be alone right now." With that, he snatched up his book and left.   
Realizing that he too needed something else to think about, he reached for a   
sheet of paper and pen. If he could somehow express this on paper, it might   
help.  
* * * * *  
"What were you thinking?" he demanded of the ashen person residing in the   
cot. Haruka flashed a quick glare at him, wishing desperately that he wasn't   
there. She wanted nothing but the relief that sleep brought. His presence only   
kept her awake and kept her mind on her partner's fate. At least her irritation   
was a distraction. It wasn't enough though.   
"You sacrifice your companions for the sake of the world without a second   
thought but you're willing to give up your life in a pointless effort to save   
her? What the hell are you thinking?!" he exploded. "I never understood you to   
begin with, but this is strange even for you!"  
"Urusai," she snapped. "I don't need this right now."  
"Do you think I care? I want an explanation and I'm not leaving until you   
provide one!" Haruka growled something incomprehensible and lunged at him only   
to fall back limply. Her injury was throbbing again, reminding her all too   
clearly of what she wanted so desperately to forget.  
He smiled, a joyless and slightly bitter expression. He wanted to reach   
out and help her somehow, to ease her pain. She would never accept his aid   
though. She would much rather suffer on her own than ever lean on anyone else,   
with the possible exception of Michiru. He watched as Haruka struggled to   
stand. Her whole body trembled and her legs looked like they would collapse   
with the effort. Eventually she had to settle for sitting upright. He had   
never seen anyone manage to look so defiant about it though.  
"All right," she drawled. "I'll give you an explanation. I already am   
dead. Without Michiru, I have nothing left to go back to. What you saw on the   
planet was merely an act of finality, to at least let her go with a bit of   
dignity." Arrogant as always, he thought. This can't just go by though.  
"What about the others, the Inner senshi? What about everyone who cares   
about you? How can you even think of leaving them so selfishly? What would   
Usagi do if you died?!"   
"That's all you really care about, isn't it?" she said a little   
thoughtfully. All of a sudden, she sagged slightly. "All those years ago, I   
asked you to protect her. Perhaps you can understand my position then." Seiya   
looked at her in confusion. It had never occurred to him that in despair, he   
had done the same thing he accused her of.  
"I suppose," he said carefully. "But Usagi…she needs protecting. She's   
so naïve, so blind to the evil she faces all of the time. It's like she can't   
understand how to hate, how to blame. We-the Starlights, I mean-lost that so   
long ago." He laughed a little sadly at that.  
"She can hate. She's human after all," Haruka replied evenly. "But she   
can forgive."  
"But why Michiru?" Seiya persisted. "I know that you two are close, but   
she can take care of herself. She wouldn't have wanted you to do that." Haruka   
smiled faintly, her eyes distant, seeing some memory only she knew.  
"Because I love her. And…because she would do the same for me." Seiya   
shook his head.  
"I still don't completely understand you. But, I don't think anyone   
really does. Maybe we're not as different as I thought though." Haruka raised   
an eyebrow.  
"It's something to think about, but I doubt it," she said stubbornly.   
Seiya groaned.  
"I've had all I can take. I think I'll let you sleep for now." Haruka   
grinned and lay down to rest. She didn't get to sleep though, not for quite   
some time. Her stormy blue eyes remained staring at the ceiling above her as   
her mind contemplated what had just been said. She realized that there was   
truth in what Seiya had said. He was impulsive and in the past had been less   
mature than her and more emotional, but they did have a fair amount in common.   
Perhaps she could trust them a little bit. She would have to anyways, her life   
rested in their hands.  
* * * * *  
"So, this is it?" Michiru inquired softly. Haruka looked around at the   
cottage a little disdainfully.   
"It will do, I suppose," she muttered. Michiru poked her lightly and   
chuckled a little at that.  
"Just once it would be nice if you accepted something for what it is," she   
smiled. "After all, it won't be easy for me either! I will have no one but you   
to keep me company for quite some time."  
"Is that a bad thing?" Michiru let her head rest on her partner's   
shoulder, her face still slightly teasing, yet serious.  
"Hell itself would seem pleasant if you were there. I think that this   
place should do nicely." Haruka looked at her thoughtfully, running her fingers   
through the former aquatic senshi's hair.  
"I suppose when you put it that way, I should be able to tolerate it." In   
all honesty, she couldn't have cared less what the place looked like, it was   
perfect. Here they could forget about battles and sacrifices. Each day would   
be an ordinary day-not that any day with Michiru was ever truly ordinary-where   
they could live some of the life that they had given up before. Uranus and   
Neptune could be simply unpleasant memories and Haruka and Michiru could truly   
exist.   
Besides, she had Michiru now. Before with moments of peace like this so   
few, they didn't have time for idle conversation. To some degree, even their   
affection for each other had to be often ignored. But that was over. It was   
just them now, forever.  
She pulled Michiru into a tight embrace, breathing in her scent and   
letting them both rejoice in their new freedom silently. For several minutes,   
they stood there, holding each other tightly. She loved her so much, an emotion   
she rarely got to express. Without her, she was nothing. Michiru was her   
wings, her soul. She had opened up her frozen heart and shown her feelings she   
could never have imagined. When they were together, they were free, truly free…  
Haruka's eyes opened and the scene from her memory vanished abruptly. Her   
lethargic mind took a moment to comprehend the change in surroundings, but once   
she did she longed for sleep again. This reality wasn't one she enjoyed living   
in. The warmth and relief of that scene was replaced by the cold that filled   
all of space and the relief was replaced by a dread of life itself.  
Now that she was fully awake, she also remembered that Michiru was gone.   
It was almost difficult for her to comprehend. They had been together for so   
long and had changed tremendously in that time. No matter what she had done, no   
matter how she had acted Michiru would always be there for her, always forgive   
her. She was the rock beneath her feet, the anchor that kept her turbulent,   
confused soul in that world. Now, she was gone. She simply wasn't there   
anymore.  
A part of her violently rejected the concept. It wasn't true, it couldn't   
be. Michiru would come back eventually. She would recover and whatever enemy   
there was would be defeated. Another part of her knew that it wasn't true.   
Michiru was dead by now. She would never come back. For the first time in   
ages, Haruka was alone.  
She felt something prick at the corner of her eye. She closed her   
eyelids, forcing the liquid back where it belonged. There was no time for   
tears, or dreams, or even love. Besides, she wasn't even sure she remembered   
how to cry. She couldn't recall the last time she had.  
* * * * *  
Haruka had finally sunken back into a restless sleep, only to be awoken   
once again. She felt some presence in her mind, a faint shadow like a   
nightmare. She opened her eyelids ever so slightly, hoping that her foe would   
not notice. Her room was deserted though. She picked up her transformation pen   
and discreetly changed forms.  
Without hesitation, she rushed to the bridge of the ship. Her wound was   
throbbing badly, causing her to stop several times. She needed to continue   
though. She had a feeling she knew what this was and if she didn't reach it   
first, everyone else would pay the price.   
Upon reaching her destination, she ducked behind the nearest crate. She   
stifled a yell as she felt warm liquid drip onto her hand. The healing her body   
had been doing was no where near enough to withstand the strain she had been   
placing on it. She was used to such pain though, she could endure.  
As she had suspected, the black clad girl was there again. She floated   
about a foot above the steel mesh of the ship's floor, elegant dress flared out   
about her. She hadn't made any obvious effort to disguise herself. Uranus   
wondered briefly if the figure in the center of the room was merely an illusion,   
but it felt real to her.  
The princess turned to face her hiding place, her cold eyes focused on the exact   
location of the senshi.  
"I know where you are, you may come out now," she said. "I don't particularly   
feel like fighting, even though it might mean bringing your kind to justice.   
I'm here to talk, so don't make this difficult." She extended one hand in the   
direction of the crate. It vanished instantly.  
"What do you want then?" Uranus said coldly. Accepting something on your   
enemy's terms was never the best of options, but she had few choices right then.   
"I want you to come with me. I'm sure that the idea does not appeal to you, but   
you have little choice. If you refuse, you risk a battle and the destruction of   
this pathetic vehicle." Her eyes watched the senshi's reaction carefully.   
Uranus gritted her teeth, longing to lash out at her. Michiru probably would   
have told her to calm down, to restrain herself. Michiru wasn't there though.   
She pictured all of things she could do right there. She was powerful, maybe   
even enough take this twisted child down with her. If she were quick enough,   
she could finish her off. She almost wished she could, to wipe away the   
memories of that day on Saturn. If she could just get rid of this person who   
refused to leave her alone…  
She felt sick with those thoughts of such terrible violence though. Sick,   
because she knew that she had done such things in the past and would do them   
again. Yes, they provided a channel for the rage that occasionally built up   
inside of her, but they also wore her down. Each year she had more guilt to   
swallow and more memories to bear. She didn't want more of that to live with,   
it was hard enough already.  
So she chose an alternative to a useless battle and the lives of everyone on the   
ship. She had been stupid to even consider such a thing. After all, if Small   
Lady died and Neo-Queen Serenity did not survive this final use of the   
ginzuishou, the Crystal Tokyo might crumble. And, though she hated to admit it,   
she didn't wish such as tragedy on the Starlights either. They still had a   
great deal to learn about each other, but she had a feeling that they someday   
might get along as Usagi had so naively suggested long ago.  
She buried her anger inside her, letting it dissipate, leaving only a faint   
lingering trace of emotion. She couldn't allow anything to cloud her judgment,   
not now. Sentimentality or desire for revenge would only make the situation   
worse.  
The sound of leather boots on the metal interrupted the tense scene. Uranus   
gritted her teeth. Her time was limited, and the longer she waited the more   
people would suffer.   
"Fine," Uranus said quietly. The dark girl smiled enigmatically, a look with no   
joy in it. "Tell me what you want me to do. I agree."  
"I'm glad you understand the situation you're in. Give me your talisman."   
Uranus's hand twitched slightly as she withdrew her ancient weapon from its   
dimensional pocket. Ignoring her first impulse, she extended her hand holding   
the sheathed sword.  
With little warning, the Starlights burst into the room.   
"Get out," Uranus growled. She let her eyes slide to her left to see their   
faces. They were clearly stunned, with touches of anger embedded in their eyes.  
"Uranus, what are you doing?" Fighter demanded.  
"I said get out!" she yelled forcefully. "This is not your concern. The next   
one to step foreword gets the edge of this blade or worse." The Starlights   
didn't seem pleased with the situation, but did not dare advance. They knew all   
too well that she was serious.   
"She's correct," the princess said. "I only came here for the senshi of the   
Silver Millennium, but I will not hesitate to destroy you also." Fighter   
tensed, clearly resisting the part of her that wanted to lung foreword.  
"How can you do this," Fighter yelled again. She ignored the distraught   
Starlight. Someday, they'd understand. The princess jerked the blade from her   
grasp, sending a wave of pain through her. Having someone else touch that   
sword, that sword that was so deeply a part of her…it felt wrong somehow.   
The princess, still gripping the sword walked over to her and put a hand on her   
shoulder. Uranus flinched, but was too numb to resist. She vaguely heard the   
princess threaten to kill her if the Starlights moved, and she felt her feet   
shuffle towards a portal. Beyond that, she could remember nothing.  
* * * * *  
It might have been several days after that fateful incident, but it was   
hard to tell in space. Time crawled by with agonizing slowness for the   
Starlights as they sped towards an unknown destination. They didn't know where   
they were going and they couldn't have cared less.   
Memories from Haruka's sacrifice were still fresh in their minds and still   
unpleasant. They all tried to ignore them, to think of something else,   
anything. It was impossible though. The scenes haunted their thoughts and   
dreams seemingly every hour, making life itself torturous.  
At that time, the three were all on the bridge of the ship. Healer had a   
book in front of his face, though his eyes were slightly unfocused and didn't   
appear to be on the page. Maker was staring gloomily at a blank sheet of paper   
and Fighter simply sat by the window, watching debris speed past them. Through   
the door and into this melancholy scene stepped Chibi-usa.  
She still looked slightly sick. Her skin seemed pale, the effect enhanced   
by the artificial light. Her fluffy hair hung loose, out of its usual style as   
though she had not bothered to notice its disarrayed state. Her eyes were   
strong though, despite her weakened appearance.   
"Minna," the small princess said. "Gomen nasai, you didn't need to be   
involved in any of this. But, Crystal Tokyo needs our help. Please, will you   
help my mama and the senshi?" She turned to look up at each one, her eyes   
challenging them to refuse. None did.   
Fighter looked at the child in surprise. It seemed strange to hear words   
like that coming from a little girl who had lived the sheltered, pampered life   
of a princess. But then, many strange things had occurred in her lifetime.   
What intrigued her though was the fact that it sounded familiar. It was   
something Usagi would have said. Fighter smiled a bit.  
"We'll help." Healer and Maker looked up at her in exhaustion, longing   
for a rest from this battle. Neither was going to stop now though. Chibi-Usa   
nodded and pulled a small key from her shirt pocket. She lifted it over her   
head and silently called to the energy that slept within it. A cold, magenta   
light flooded the room, engulfing them and the ship. Their surroundings faded   
away into nothingness, swallowed by the light.  
Moments later they were all standing in an endless abyss, surrounded by   
impenetrable fog. There must have been solid ground somewhere, but none could   
see it beneath the mist that swirled around their feet. The Starlights said   
nothing about the change of scenery, they simply followed the pink haired girl,   
hoping she knew where she was going. Even if she didn't, walking was something   
to do. After a while, Chibi-Usa halted and looked around.  
"Puu!" she called. "Puu! It's me, Small Lady!" For a few tense seconds   
after the echoes died away, there was silence. Then, a shadowy figure appeared.   
She stepped towards them, showing herself. Fighter remembered her, though she   
had seemed different. Her flowing, green tinted ebony hair was the same as was   
her fuku. Her eyes were different though. Their was a sadness, an aching   
loneliness in those deep red eyes that had not been there when the Starlights   
had last seen Pluto.  
The guardian senshi stared at them coldly for a moment, her hands on her   
enormous staff, poised to strike. Her eyes swept over all of them, not changing   
in emotion. When she saw the princess though, she immediately dropped to her   
knees and embraced the little girl.  
"Small lady!" she whispered, a hint of tears in her eyes. "I was so   
worried about you. I felt a predomination of danger and I thought…" The woman   
released the princess, resuming her position as guard. She no longer seemed   
threatening though. There was even a slight smile on her face.   
"Genki desu, Puu. But," Chibi-Usa said, her face clouding over.   
"Something's happened to the Crystal Tokyo! My mama is using the ginzuishou to   
shield Earth and the inner senshi have disappeared. And Hotaru-chan…Hotaru-  
chan…" Chibi-Usa bit her lip nervously, remembering how much Pluto cared for   
her friend. Pluto's eyes widened.  
"What happened to Hime-chan? Is she all right?"   
"Yes…she's alive, and not hurt…" Pluto didn't pry any further, realizing   
Chibi-Usa's reluctance to speak about the subject.  
"And I assume that you wish to go into some other time to prevent this   
event somehow." Chibi-Usa nodded.   
"I want to bring Sailormoon-tachi into our time. They helped us before   
and I'm sure they can again." Pluto paused thoughtfully.  
"All right. I'll send you to the time in earth's history after Galaxia   
was defeated. Be strong and stay together. Time travel is extremely dangerous.   
Come back safely." Chibi-Usa smiled in gratitude and gave her friend a quick   
hug. There was a shred of doubt in her eyes though.  
"Puu, I don't understand. I thought you didn't want anyone to travel   
through time. You said it was too dangerous."   
"This is an emergency though. Sometimes, desperate times call for   
desperate measures. Now, go quickly!" she said, sounding slightly nervous. She   
opened the door with the usual ceremony and sent them through with a few quick   
good-byes. Within minutes-though there really were no minutes in that timeless   
world-the melancholy senshi was alone once more.  
The instant that they left, Pluto collapsed on the ground again, clutching   
her side. She shouldn't have remained standing for so long, but she couldn't   
let them know her condition. They already had enough to worry about. Besides,   
their concern would not have helped her.  
She pulled away some of her dark hair to reveal a large wound with a   
trickle of blood dripping from it. She removed one glove and shredded it to   
form a clumsy bandage. At least that would keep her clean while her body   
finished healing itself. She could do nothing more now, only wait for the pain   
to end so that she could fully resume her duties.  
She felt a slight shift in the mist, a subtle movement that few would   
notice. After an eternity in that timeless, spaceless world her senses were far   
more acute than most though. She could feel someone there, an almost tangible   
presence that she could not see the source of.   
"Reveal yourself," she whispered. She heard a tiny laugh, a giggle   
really, but no one appeared. Pluto smiled bitterly. Her last battle was one   
that even she could not fight.  
"Coward," said the senshi. "Your mistress already weakened me. Do you   
find it necessary to kill someone who's already been defeated?" The giggle   
repeated, from a different direction this time. Pluto closed her eyes and   
waited for the blow to come.  
Without warning, dozens of shards of ice flew out of the fog. Pluto   
gritted her teeth, refusing to allow this fool to hear her scream but unable to   
summon the energy to fight back.   
"King, forgive me for what I do now." The injured, now dying senshi   
turned her head upward to face the endless abyss above her. She raised her arms   
and staff, praying to the Garnet Orb that she carried everywhere. "Charon, aid   
me!" With that, she flickered and vanished into the far reaches of the fourth   
dimension.  
A slender, short young woman stepped out of the mist to approach the door   
of time. A slow smile spread across her face, mirroring her wickedly glinting   
eyes.  
"See, Mercury? Nemesis is going to win this war."  
* * * * *  
The room was dark, horrifically so. It was layers of shadows containing   
more of their dark kind within. Specks of light, mere particles barely visible   
to the eye flitted about the room, but provided little illumination. It was   
perfect, darkness concealed what light would show, and the girl would rather   
that people not see this right now.  
The trembling began, slowly at first, barely noticeable. It rapidly   
increased though until her whole body quivered uncontrollably. A ringing   
sounded in her ears, causing her entire head to ache. She fought to remain   
erect for as long as she could, but after only a few minutes her body struck the   
stone floor with a dull thud. There she remained for several minutes-though it   
seemed like an eternity-as her flesh twitched and skin crawled over her bony   
form.   
Waves of pain engulfed her, gnawing away at her sanity while she cried   
helplessly, clawing at the ground like a crazed animal and whimpering like an   
infant. It was as if some force were trying to suck very soul from her, to eat   
her alive. Finally, when she felt as though she would dissolve under the   
magnitude of the agony, she raised her head, jaw clenched in one act of   
defiance. She sank her finger nails into her palms until they bled and bit her   
lip with her teeth. She forced her legs to support her as she stood.   
After a while, the attack subsided and her body relaxed. She collapsed on   
the floor once again, gasping for air. It had been a long time since she had   
suffered so greatly. She couldn't pity herself though. After all, the rest of   
Nemesis went through so much more. She had lived fairly well all of her life,   
had never come close to starvation or suffocation in a collapsed tunnel. All of   
her life she had been pampered-not that anyone's life was truly easy on that   
hostile planet-and for the most part safe.   
No, she certainly couldn't feel sorry for herself, not now. Not with   
their goal so close. Everyone was depending on her right now. She was the   
golden jewel that the planet had given them at a time when virtually all of the   
magical abilities of the people were weak, the one who would deliver them and   
bring them back to earth.  
So, she stood up once again and strode over to a mirror to adjust the bow   
adorning the collar and blouse of her outfit and to make sure the pleated, navy   
skirt looked decent. She had made her decision, though she still felt slightly   
unhappy with it. Still, they had earned it. It had been their choice to side   
with the queen, not hers.   
She walked over to the two stricken bodies lying on the stone tables.   
They could have been dead, had she not known better. Their skin was a ghastly   
shade of white and appeared to be stretched thin over their bones, giving them a   
skeletal appearance. She felt a twinge of sympathy for them, more than she   
should have felt. She ignored it.   
She knelt slightly by the turquoise haired woman, pausing briefly to check   
to see if they really was a pulse beneath that waxy skin, to see if she really   
was alive. She held one hand out into the air, waiting for the demon to give   
her the needed item. Almost instantly, two crystal collars appeared. She   
hesitated, running her fingers along her own collar. The device had taken away   
some of her freedom, but it wasn't as if she ever would have rebelled against   
Akuma anyway. She was a prisoner, but a willing one. With that final thought   
she placed the collar around the former senshi's slender neck. It glowed   
briefly as the crystal melted together, making it impossible to remove.   
Next, she went the other one of the partnership. It's strange, she mused.   
She was so defiant before, going against me in a bold but suicidal attack. It   
was foolish of her, but in a way it's almost admirable. It would be almost a   
pity to destroy that. She attached the remaining collar to the icy skin of the   
one who used to be Haruka. It was done, there was no turning back now.  
She, Adularia of Nemesis, backed away from the tables, her face an   
unreadable mask. Carefully, so as not to further crumple it, she extracted a   
small rectangular sheet of primitive paper. It said:  
  
Kuraino Kishi,  
Juuban High school,  
Tokyo, Japan, Earth  
  
After stuffing the paper back into her pocket she strode confidently   
towards the place where the portal through time was going to be reinstalled. A   
war was going to begin again, only this time the people of Nemesis would have   
success. This time, there would be no time for sympathy or sentimentality.   
Nothing mattered but the results: the queen gone and Nemesis free. Nothing   
else made a difference, not even what happened to her.   
  



	2. Echoes of the Past

  
"Do you hate this world, little girl? Do you resent your hellish destiny that you have been forced to bear from birth?" the voice rasped enticingly. The girl turned, a mix of confusion and curiosity inscribed on her face.  
"It isn't fair, is it?" the voice continued. The girl felt herself nodding in agreement at these words. It was true. Why should pain and suffering be the only things she would ever know?  
"Then come with me. Let me change your bitter fate, let me alter this world you despise so, let me give you a chance to become something else," the voice said compellingly. "Open your mind to me, child, and I will show you the way." The girl's eyes flickered with interest.   
"Can you give me vengeance?" She could almost feel the unknown speaker smile.  
"Oh, yes, I can give your revenge." The girl hesitated, then extended her hand. Darkness enclosed her small fingers and world. She cried out, and saw no more.  
* * * * *  
Adularia pressed herself against the stone corridor, waiting for the soft thudding of footsteps to fade into the distance. When finally the person was clearly gone, she let out a long held sigh of relief. It would certainly be a shock to most people if they saw their hated but respected figure of authority like this.   
With utmost caution, she crept through the nearly silent corridors. When she had finally reached her destination she typed her access code into a small panel on the wall. The rock before her slid open noiselessly, revealing a door where before there had been a flawless wall. She stepped into her haven, closing the door behind her.  
The place was one of the better kept secrets on Nemesis. It had been made by the nearly legendary artisan Saphir. It had been his cherished secret for many years. He had only told his brother, the prince. Only a little while before his death at the hands of the sailor senshi had he told her about the place. She had occasionally wondered why he had bothered to inform her of its existence. He had no reason to trust her, no one had at that point. Perhaps he had some idea of his fate and had shown it to her with the hope that she would take care of it. Or perhaps he had taken pity on the poor, nearly mindless puppet she had still been pretending to be at that point. It made little difference, the outcome was the identical.  
What mattered was that this place-she had come to call it The Garden-was there for her. The place was a as different from the rest of Nemesis as night was from day. While the passages of their underground cities were entirely carved out of stone with only a few pieces of vegetation and failing attempts at agriculture breaking the monotony, this place was filled with various plants beneath cheerful sunlight.  
It was an illusion naturally. The sunshine was really an artificial life as was the hologram of the sky surrounding the small place. A few of the plants were even fake. The place looked realistic enough though and in its own way was beautiful, even if it was a replica.   
Her lips curved into a smile and she sat down on a large outcropping of rock hanging over a pond. This was her sanctuary, the one tiny place of safety where she was not a princess, not a leader of any kind. Here, she was simply a adolescent in no rush to grow up or go anywhere.  
I'm so selfish, she thought accusingly, guilt stinging her even then. So horribly, unbelievably selfish, but still...  
A slight grinding resounded through the enclosed space, startling her out of her rest. She sat up abruptly, watching the door slide open warily. She relaxed when she saw who stood on the threshold. Her alarm had been without cause as it was only Fluorite.  
The little girl was the other keeper of this secret. Adularia had wanted to keep it to herself once, to have something no one else could. Fluorite needed more than she did though. The strangely innocent child had suffered terribly. Anything that could ease her pain should be given to her.  
"Adularia-sama?" Fluorite asked nervously. It was strange, the princess reflected. Fluorite did not look as though she belonged on that planet. Standing there clad in a well-worn nightgown-a present the princess had once given to her for her birthday-with her lavender curls falling down her shoulders and her eyes wide, she was a stark contrast to the other children her age. Many had learned hate by then. Their naivety had already hardened into bitterness. This girl seemed different somehow.   
"What is it?" the princess inquired, carefully keeping her voice soft. She had become so accustomed to snapping at whomever spoke to her that it was difficult to show a little kindness. She didn't wish to frighten the poor child.  
"Can I come in?"   
"Of course," Adularia assured her. Even she sounds anxious around me, the princess thought sadly. She's seen me use my powers too many times, like everyone. At least she isn't completely terrified of me yet.   
Relief washed across Fluorite's small face and she entered, sealing the entrance behind her.   
* * * * *   
The loud shriek of the school bell disrupted the teacher in mid-sentence. A look of annoyance flashed across her face briefly at the rather untimely interruption. Before she could finish her thought, one particular student seated in the middle of the classroom had already leapt from her chair, books and papers clutched in her arms in a precarious balance. The blonde girl winced a little, trying desperately to keep her supplies from toppling over and rushed towards the door a few strides ahead of the rest of the class.   
The teacher grimaced at the girl's eagerness to leave. If anything, this student should be considering spending a little time after school with her to improve her fairly poor grades. The frown soon changed to an expression of wistful amusement. It had been an awfully long time since she had possessed that kind of energy or enthusiasm. Though she might not be the best of students, it was hard to dislike her. Her cheerful disposition was just too infectious.  
The girl sprinted through the hallways, dodging her peers in a frantic attempt to get out of the building. Under normal circumstances, she would have enjoyed spending some time with her friends before they went to their separate clubs. They rarely seemed to have enough time to spend together lately.   
Today was different though. For once, the spunky adolescent had somewhere of importance to be. She ran with more urgency than usual, her long legs covering ground rapidly and her golden pigtails streaming out behind her. She careened through the hallways and down the streets, narrowly avoiding half a dozen collisions. Her mind was entirely focused on her destination. The people and scenery around her were merely a blur.   
She halted finally at the nearest bus-stop, panting slightly from her exertion. The yellow bus screeched to a halt and she entered without a word. The other passengers looked with vague interest at the exhausted girl on the verge of panic as she reached for the nearest handhold.   
One woman took pity on her and vacated her seat with a warm smile. Usagi smiled back out of relief and gratitude as she took her place on the bench. She sagged a little, her seemingly boundless energy finally running out. The woman sitting next to her eyed her curiously.  
"You certainly seem to be in a hurry," the woman commented absently. The girl nodded and after a moment to catch her breath replied.  
"I'm seeing someone off. I really want to be there in time." The woman's face began to show a twinge of genuine interest.  
"Oh, if I'm not prying, might I ask who it is?" The girl hesitated slightly, a little unsure of what to say. There was no way that this person could truly understand just how important this was. Even if she explained the whole story, no one would believe her.  
"The love of my life," she said finally. "He's leaving for a while to go to school in America. He was supposed to go a while ago but...he was sort of delayed." The woman nodded a bit, smiling internally at the girl's devotion. It was odd that she spoke of this person as though he were more than just a boyfriend or crush. At that age, most teenagers did not have someone whom cared for as deeply as she seemed to.   
"The love of your life?" the woman asked, unable to resist the desire to find out a little more about this. For the first time, the girl's nervous expression was replaced by a grin. It faded quickly, but gave the woman some idea of just how important this was.  
"Oh, yes," the girl answered. She giggled at the phrase. "He's the best man in the whole world. We've been together for almost four years now, though we've known each other for even longer. He's..." her eyes grew slightly misty as she searched for words to describe him. "He's always there for me when I'm in trouble. When we're together everything just seems right, like nothing bad could ever happen to separate us or tear us apart. I can't really explain it but it's like..." her voice trailed off and the woman nodded understandingly. Everyone must have felt that way at one point in their life. It seemed that far too often hearts filled with love like this one were shattered. There weren't very many that were left like this.  
"And he is leaving?" the woman questioned. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for the girl. It seemed like a story that had been told a hundred times. She was too innocent, too naïve to suffer that kind of loss.   
The girl's hands trembled ever so slightly. She willed them to stop, preventing all visible signs of her worries to cease.   
"Yes," she said. "But it will be okay. He'll only be gone for a little over a year. Reika-san will be gone for eight more years and she and Motoki-san still write each other all the time. A year isn't too bad. I-it really is nothing. I mean, what could happen in such a short time, especially now when it's so peaceful? Besides, it's what he wants and I want him to be happy. I know he'd stay if I really wanted him to. If I begged him to stay he'd give up everything and be with me. But, I don't want him to suffer because of my selfishness. I'll be just fine on my own."  
The woman cringed as she heard the girl struggle to convince herself of this. It was far too obvious to the older listener that this child was far from okay with her boyfriends decision. The woman was almost tempted to tell her to make him stay. She didn't deserve the hardships of a long distance relationship. Only her better judgment prevented her from saying anything.   
They made the rest of the trip in silence, each locked in their own thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity to the quivering blonde, the bus slowed to a stop in front of the airport. The girl sprung from her seat almost instantly, her possessions already clasped tightly within her hands.   
The woman shook her head a little as she watched her disappear through the door. There was something about that girl, something not quite right, the woman mused. She seemed almost too naïve, and yet more mature than most people. She obviously felt sick inside, but she managed to project an aura of strength courage. She woman shook her head, amused at her thoughts and dismissed the matter from her mind. It really wasn't her concern.   
* * * * *  
"The Gates of Time are open," Peridot said smugly. She swept the folds of her revealing skirt behind her and bent into a low, exaggerated bow. Adularia watched her minion carefully. One of the things she had never liked about the other woman-she was really only about two or three years older than Adularia-was her unpredictability. She was erratic in both her thoughts and actions. She was always manipulative and cunning, but her behavior patterns could change drastically over the course of a few hours.   
"Did you bring me the guardian?" the princess inquired, her voice biting despite its low volume. Peridot's emerald eyes widened slightly in poorly concealed shock.   
"No, she escaped into the fourth dimension," she said. "She really isn't terribly important though, is she?" Adularia turned her head slightly to hide her expression. Peridot had rare moments where she was surprisingly perceptive and the slightest hint of emotion could give away the princess's position.  
"Are you saying you failed?" Adularia asked in icy tones. "Are you saying that you could not carry out this simple assignment? The guardian was already terribly weakened and should have been incapable of putting up much of a fight. I practically finished the job for you myself." Though Adularia could not see the woman's expression, she could feel the fury radiating from her quite clearly. Peridot, her pride injured, was fuming, her temper rising dangerously.  
"There was nothing I could have done, Hime-sama," she snapped defensively. "Besides, it isn't like she can do anything now. She could barely open the Door of Time and-" As soon as the words had left her mouth, Peridot realized her mistake. Adularia's eyes widened in genuine shock.  
"You let the other passengers on the ship go through the door?!" she demanded. "You let our worst enemies enter an unknown period in time? Do you have any idea what you have done?! They could wipe our entire clan out with ease. They have the power to alter history and our future!" The princess quickly regained her lost composure, struggling to contain the fear and anger that was rising within her.   
"You are finished," the princess said, her voice reverting to its perilously low state. "I doubted your competency from the beginning, but never expected this. Get back to whatever the hell you were doing before you were promoted and forget about this mission." Peridot inhaled sharply, unable to speak for several seconds.   
"Hime-sama, I can repair the damage done quickly," she said, her voice flat with restrained emotion. "With the guardian gone, time travel is possible for anyone, even with Nemesis in its weakened state. I will find the senshi and eliminate them. Please let me correct my error!"  
"Who went through the door?" Adularia demanded, struck with sudden inspiration.  
"I wasn't quite sure, they were practically gone by the time I got there..."  
"Was there a small, pink haired child?" Peridot desperately wracked her memory. It had been almost impossible to see in that fog, but she now that she thought about it, she had seen a flash of pink. It could have been a girl's hair.  
"Yes," she said slowly.   
"The sole heir to the throne and the only child the queen will ever be able to bear," Adularia smiled. "If we can capture her as a hostage, Serenity will have to lower the barrier. And with access to the city..."   
"Then allow me to capture her for you," Peridot begged, seizing the chance. Adularia shook her head.  
"No, I will assign this task to someone more competent such as Tanzanite. You are dismissed."  
Peridot opened her mouth to object but stopped herself quickly.  
"As you wish," she hissed through clenched teeth. Trembling with rage, the emerald haired woman left the room. **This is not the end of this, Hime-sama. Oh, no. I'll make you regret that.**  
* * * * *  
"Mamo-chan," Usagi whispered. She felt tears threatening to break free. It had been months since that fateful day when her beloved had boarded a plane for America. She remembered everything perfectly, his smiling face, his kind eyes, the look of indecision and love written across his face, everything. Every day after he had left, she'd played the scene over in her mind, wondering what she could have done differently if she had known what was going to happen to him.   
Her eyes scanned the airport anxiously. It made her heart ache to see the place, even now. For a moment, she thought he might have already boarded the plane. Before her tears broke free, she spotted him. He was sitting down, eyes focused on his wristwatch.  
Usagi almost broke out into sobs at the very sight of him. The idea that he might have left without ever seeing her, that she would never be able to tell him all of those things that she had not told him on that day was unbearable. She stopped herself from rushing foreword into his arms though. She was no longer a little girl and she could not let him see her so close to hysterics. She loved him and would not worry him.  
She closed her eyes and willed the tears to go away and for her heart to cease its frantic beating. When she had calmed down sufficiently, she walked quickly to him. She paused once she had reached him, her nervousness returning despite her intentions. The words she had planned to say fled her mind and her voice caught in her throat.  
It took him a few seconds to look up and see her. She forced her lips into a smile for his benefit.   
"Usako! You're late! You almost missed me completely," he scolded. Once his words would have sounded cold and heartless to Usagi, especially at a time like this. She knew differently though. There was no malice or anger behind Mamoru's accusation, only exhaustion and worry. She smiled again.  
"Mamo-chan," she whined. "You sound just like my sensei!" He chuckled halfheartedly at her attempt at a rebuttal. This pattern of conversation was all too familiar to both of them. Their teasing seemed strained today, but still they tried to conceal their grief over the situation.  
Both stood awkwardly for a few moments, uncertain of what to say. Mamoru shifted uncomfortably, watching the planes outside from the corner of his eye. Usagi looked down to her hands and noticed to her chagrin that they were beginning to shake again. She cringed as she noticed the clock. He would have to leave in only a few minutes.  
She wanted to tell him everything, to explain how she felt but didn't even know where to begin. The tears at the corners of her eyes began to push foreword despite her efforts. All at once, unsure of what she was doing, she rushed foreword and wrapped her arms around him.  
"Ai shiteru!" she cried. "I don't want you to go!" She felt Mamoru tense subtly. She shut her eyes tightly but could still see his stunned expression in her mind. A part of her realized with grim satisfaction that if she pleaded, he might very well not go. He would want to, and he would resent her selfishness, but if he knew how much it meant to her, he might not go. The other part of her cringed at her words. She was taking advantage of him, of his love.   
"Usako..." he whispered.   
"Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai...It's so horrible for me to ask you this but...I can't...I don't want you to be hurt like last time..." Her words sounded weak and foolish even to her ears. "I can't bear to...to think of you dying. I was so lonely before, so desperate. I didn't know what to do and came so close to making a lot of mistakes...I can't...I'm not strong enough...to endure..." Her words faded into silence.  
Usagi shuddered and drew herself away from Mamoru's embrace. He looked just as she had imagined he would, horrified, guilty and slightly hurt. She had just asked him to give up his dreams, his future, all for her sake. It was unfair and immature, she realized.   
"Is...is that was you really want?" he asked. Usagi hesitated, realizing that her next words would haunt her forever, no matter what she said. She straightened, not allowing him to give her any support which she did not deserve just then.  
"No," she said softly. Her own words shocked her almost as much as him. "I do want that, but not entirely. More than that, I want you to be happy. You won't be happy if you stay here, so you have to go, for my sake too."  
"If you don't want me to go I won't."   
"I-I just realized something. I'm being kind of stupid, ne? I always talk about dreams, and how important they are, but just a moment ago I almost tried to take away your happiness just for my sake. If I really wanted to do something like that, then I wouldn't love you as much as I do. So, you must go. I don't mind." She smiled bravely. Chiba Mamoru smiled back and without another word, walked toward his plane.  
Usagi's last thread of control dissolved the instant he was out of sight. She sank into the nearest seat and wept, unaware of everything except her own anguish.  
* * * * *  
Peridot shuddered and dropped to a ground she could not see, her body veiled by layers of thick mist. Her lips parted in an attempt to speak, but only a painful gasp emerged. She tried again, this time with some success.  
"Damn...you..." she hissed. She repeated the words, screaming them this time so that they echoed throughout the oblivion that formed the fourth dimension. Not one soul answered. The barren world was absolutely devoid of life with the exception of its guardian that lurked within its depths. Yet the woman clearly heard a response in her mind.  
Peridot pressed her hands against what must have been something solid in attempt to lift herself up. Her efforts were only rewarded with another painful fall though. This time, she did not even get up, she simply lay there staring into the endless expanse concealed by mist. It seemed almost like too much trouble to continue on her journey, to keep fighting with herself.   
She felt the senshi within her smile grimly. Mercury's determination was almost inhuman, Peridot reflected. She knew that she had already lost, that she could not hope to really fight, but still she struggled to hinder her enemy even in such tiny ways as these.   
**I doubted your competency from the beginning, but never expected this. Get back to whatever the hell you were doing before you were promoted and forget about this mission.** Peridot focused her exhausted mind on the princess insult and felt her anger grow tremendously. She channeled that rage as she had taught herself to do and forced her body to stand.   
**How ironic that you would help me in the end, Hime-sama,** Peridot thought to herself. She continued to walk, now with more confidence, toward her hidden destination.   
After a while, Peridot encountered what she had been searching for. The Door of Time loomed out of the mists, strangely out of place in the abyss. She stepped onto its threshold, trying to determine what lay beyond. Few had ever actually seen what was beyond that ornate door. For all she knew, it could be an elaborate trap for those who tried to violate the taboo against time travel.  
"The last sacred territory, huh?" she muttered. She felt a twinge of fear as she prepared to enter the place. There was a world beyond her comprehension in there. Humans were never supposed to set foot in it. It seemed wrong somehow. She suppressed these thoughts as soon as they entered her mind. Caution had never been her strong point, and now was a horrible time to change.  
With a reckless laugh, she jumped through, plunging herself into that world.  
* * * * *  
"Hime-sama, are you sure that was wise?" Tanzanite asked. The princess turned her head to look at the scarlet haired woman.   
"What?" she questioned, feigning ignorance.   
"You know exactly what I mean. You deliberately angered Peridot then. There is no telling what she will do if provoked. Besides, that demon still thinks she's useful and doesn't want her dying this way."  
"She failed miserably. We'll have to clean up whatever mess she may make, but in this kind of rage, there's no way Crystal Tokyo's princess will get out alive. If nothing else, it will get rid of her for a little while."  
The older woman frowned slightly, but gave no comment.  
* * * * *   
Peridot's eyes widened slightly at the sight of several figures up ahead. For a moment, she thought her eyes were playing tricks with her. The pastel colors of a sailor fuku and glistening blacks of foreign uniforms did not fade into the distance though. She had thought she had seen them several times before, but they had always turned out to shadows, ghosts of humans in a dimension beyond her reach. These were real.  
A grin split her face and her eyes lit up with a wicked gleam. She was sick of this alien world, this empty dimension of both future and past. She wanted to escape more than anything else now. If she didn't find a way out, she was sure she would lose her sanity.  
A single thought entered her head and dominated her mind: this was their fault and she had to make them pay. Images flashed in her subconscious, the princess shadowed features sneering at her, the contempt of her peers, an ethereal image of a senshi, that horrible darkness that filled her pathetic home and above all, the image of one person dissolving into flames rising in a pillar from the planet's surface. These were the reasons she was in pain, alone in a place she could not begin to understand.  
The more she thought of these, the more her rage built until it was an uncontrollable fury eliminating everything but her hatred and desire to kill until there was no one left. Her throat muscles clenched, cutting off her breath and her hands tightened into fists, blood streaming from the fingernails embedded in her skin.   
With a strangled shriek, she lunged foreword, self-control instantly forgotten. She sped foreword, closing the distance between her and her prey. She saw the child's head turn towards her, pink locks flying out behind her. The little girl's crimson eyes widened with visible terror. **Too late!** Peridot thought in elation.   
Without hesitation, she raked her sharpened fingernails over the child's shoulder. Blood sprayed across her face and long, ugly gashes appeared on the girl's now exposed skin. Peridot's expression altered to one of pure ecstasy and she lifted her hand to strike again. Her clawed fingers lunged immediately for a small golden chain around the girl's neck. Her expression quickly changing to panic, the little senshi grabbed at her hands in a desperate attempt to stop her. Peridot smirked and ripped the Time Key from the senshi's trembling fingers. Once more, she went through the deadly routine of raising her hand to attack. This time her palm swept across the girl's cheek sending her reeling backwards along with her guardians.   
The three older senshi surrounding the little princess prepared for battle, but had a difficult time maintaining position against the flow of time. Peridot smirked at their futile efforts. She had the advantage and knew it all too well. With time's inexorable tide pressing against them, their attacks could not hope to strike her as long as she remained in the right position. She held up one hand and conjured four glistening crystals of ice that narrowed down to a razor sharp point. With a burst of laughter, she let the crystals fly foreword, propelled by the very current that kept them moving.   
Her crude weapons missed their marks, but all had some lasting effect. Several deep cuts were left in the older senshi that had not been their before. Their guard was down. Seizing the opportunity, she launched herself at the little girl and grabbed her with both hands. She lifted one hand drenched in scarlet fluid above her head and summoned the power now residing within her. Frost laced her palm as an enormous spear of ice emerged. She turned the weapon to point it at the helpless child, to cut her beating heart out of her chest.  
Suddenly, her hand faltered. Deep inside, Mercury was still struggling with all of her soul. Peridot swore violently but could not force her hand to move through the motion that would end the princess's life. Before she could stop her, the little girl had recovered some of her courage. She lifted a small pink wand and aimed it directly at her enemies face. Words never emerged from her lips, only a desperate battle cry. Peridot shrieked in anger and pain as a blinding light struck her. Fire raced through every vein in her body and sent her reeling back. Without thinking, she flung the source of her agony out into the time stream.  
Mercury, seemingly impervious to the pain, reacted instantly. She sent all of her strength into the arm that still held the icicle. The deadly shard changed its course at the senshi's will and swept across the right side of Peridot's face, severing the skin just above her eye.   
Peridot continued to scream with a mixture of blind wrath and anguish. Her howls drifted through the dimension with no one to hear them.  
* * * * *  
Tsukino Usagi's sapphire eyes snapped open instantly. Those eyes still bore evidence of her tears but were now alert with a hint of fear in them. Some hidden instinct screamed at her that something was terribly wrong. The details of the situation eluded her mind completely, but she was able to create plenty of possible scenarios on her own.  
She cringed as images of Mamoru's death flew through her head despite her attempts to suppress them. She told herself firmly that it was quite possible that nothing had happened, or that it was only something small. She didn't believe even her own lies.  
The cloudless sky suddenly darkened, causing citizens all over town to pause and stare upward. Bolts of lightning split the heavens followed by deafening thunder. Usagi listened to the shrieks of her fellow citizens with a strange aura of calmness. Once, she might have tried to flee out of blind fear. Now, after seeing all hell break loose and ravage her world time and time again, this did not startle her at all.  
Suddenly, one very familiar person dashed past her. Her auburn hair had lengthened and was no longer adorned by its customary bow, but it was undeniably Osaka Naru. Her childhood friend turned to her in confusion, eyes wide.  
"Usagi-chan! Why aren't you running? Hurry and get out of here!" she asked, her voice feverish as ominous storm clouds glowing an unearthly magenta began to gather. Usagi looked at her as if seeing a ghost. **Why aren't I running?** she thought abruptly. The Tsukino Usagi Naru had known would have been panic-stricken by then. Usagi tried to examine her emotions and found that known of them were fear. She felt grief for what could have happened to her Mamo-chan and sick with the realization that a battle could be coming, but all of that was drowned out by one dominant emotion, a kind of grim determination. It wasn't exactly like courage, more like a simple realization that it was time to perform her duty. It was almost a void in her emotions, as though all feelings had drained away and left her with this sense of purpose.   
Naru shot one last desperate glance at her old friend before succumbing to her own fear and sprinting away. **What is this feeling inside me? It's been there before but...why...? When did I become like this?** Usagi wondered, her thoughts shifting from the chaotic scene before her. **Strange...I always called myself a senshi, but I never was one. I don't want to kill. I never wanted to hurt anyone. Being like this was supposed to be a game. I'm not really a warrior, am I?** Usagi forcibly focused disorderly her thoughts on the situation, but her doubts did not dissapear. There was something very different about her, something she wasn't sure she liked.  
She watched the receding form of the girl who had once been her best friend in the world, the one who had understood her better than she had ever understood herself, the one who had never left her side. Naru was a stranger. While they had once been similar, they were now almost opposites. **Goodbye, Naru-chan,** Guilt and a sense of loss washed over her, but the time for that had passed. Tsukino Usagi was no longer needed, Sailormoon was.   
She lifted her golden broach from her blouse. The words she had chanted a thousand times before sprang readily to her lips and she transformed with a flurry of feathers. Within seconds, her school uniform was replaced with a short skirted ensemble complemented by angelic wings sprouting from her back. She braced herself warely for whatever would occur, trying not to think about how natural her fighting stance felt or how quick she was to consider violence.   
The clouds began to rotate around a fairly large hole in the center. Jagged bolts of lightning crackled as the energy concentrated in that void began to build. With surprising abruptness, the hole regurgitated on one small body. Pink hair streamed mingled with scarlet blood and a tangle of ribbons that streaked upward into the sky. The person was in a fetal position, knees bent as if to protect her from more pain. Sailormoon was unable to see the face clearly, but instantly recognized the figure.   
"Chibi-Usa!" she cried out. She rushed foreward to intercept the child and save her from certain death. Her movements seemed painfully slow as she watched her own daughter fall to the earth with devastating speed. Again she felt the same emptiness inside, as though catching the small girl was not so much of an act of kindness or love as an act of duty.   
She reached Chibi-Usa just as the small senshi was about to strike the surface of the pavement. She crumpled to the ground, but didn't hurt herself. She sat there for several minutes cradling the unconsious girl, blood soaking her garments.   
A kind of numbness settled over her senses, extinguishes all rational thoughts. Seeing her daughter in her arms, her face pallid and body limp was just too much. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that this meant the beginning of more battles, of more loss and hatred and fighting. She couldn't believe it though. Her body and mind had reacted without delay when faced with a situation like that, but a part of her still refused to accept it.  
Again, her thoughts came back to dwell on that complete lack of emotion she had felt. It was as though she were a machine. The more she thought about it, the more that was what it seemed like she had become. She destroyed. She had let her enemies die without a second thought, never stopping to consider what she was elliminating. Every time, every single time she had felt that emptiness as she killed. Occasionally, she had felt triumphant, ecstatic or proud, but most of the time she just felt a hollow.  
She shivered suddenly, thought the air was not cold. She hugged Chibi-Usa's body close to her, ignoring the blood that was penetrating her fuku and drenching her hair. Mechanically, she began to walk in the direction of her house. Feathers covered in the blood of an innocent fell from her crimson stained wings.   
* * * * *  
Scarlet liquid dripped from a jagged slash down the woman's face, winding its way through the curves in her contorted expression and dripping onto her outstretched hand. Her viridian curls covered half of her soiled face, hiding one hate-filled eye from view completely. Barely feeling the pain, she ran her delicate fingers over the cut.  
"Are you happy?" she whispered. "Is this what you want?" She looked around the darkened void surrounding her as if someone might respond. She traced the length of the cut once again, letting the excess blood drip down her fingers to rest in her palm like a tiny lake. Seeing the substance only sickened her.  
Her eyes futiley searched the scenery for the hundredth time. The utter hopelessness of the situation had finally managed to overcome even her denial. In afterthought, her actions seemed foolish and impulsive. She would never have a chance to alter her fate though.  
Illusions flickered in the corner of her eye, a bitter reminder of what she had left behind. Now that the adreniline and rage had drained away from her body, she merely felt exhausted. Even fighting with the senshi seemed too require too much effort. She constantly battled Mercury and had grown tired of it.  
"You go to hell, you little bitch," she muttered. There was no genuine anger in her words. It was simply a repetition of a phrase, a meaningless way of passing time. There was no sense in trying to hide her growing dispair from the senshi. Her opponent already knew.  
All of a sudden, Peridot's eyes caught a twinkle of light in the distance. She blinked but the beacon remained. A triumphant smile creased her face. **The little brat must have gotten out there.** With all strength, she willed herself to turn slightly and break through that gap that breached the dimensions. She plunged through, not knowing what lay beyond.  
Peridot surveyed the landcape with her one good eye, trying to figure out where and when she had exited at. The landscape seemed vaguely familiar. She had never seen it herself as there was no city like this on Nemesis, but she couldn't help but feel that she knew this place.   
Recognition flashed over her features as she looked at a single, red tower buried in the heart of the metropolis. She had seen that tower many, many times in textbooks.   
"Tokyo Tower," she whispered with reverence. "This is the Crystal Tokyo of the past, before the great frost. Which is...where that little girl-they used to call her "rabbit"-fled last time. Which means..."  
Shedding her dispair almost effortlessly, she began to walk down the deserted streets of the ancient city. She walked with no particular hurriedness. After all, she had all of the time in the world.  
* * * * *   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Irony of Fate

Authors notes and disclaimers: Due to the fact that I'm a lazy person who gets writer's block more than anyone should, I'm going to release part two in smaller sections as I get them done. This unfortunately should be a lot longer than the first one and also may not have too much action. Gomen ne, minna-san ;_;. At this stage, my characters are still in the process of developing (especially Adularia, her personality still remains somewhat unknown even after part one. More work for me...) and getting to know each other.   
Naturally, I am not Naoko Takeuchi and as a result do not own Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon (much as I might wish it were otherwise).  
  
Scarlet liquid dripped from a jagged slash down the woman's face, winding its way through the curves in her contorted expression and dripping onto her outstretched hand. Her viridian curls covered half of her soiled face, hiding one hate-filled eye from view completely. Barely feeling the pain, she ran her delicate fingers over the cut.  
"Are you happy?" she whispered. "Is this what you want?" She looked around the darkened void surrounding her as if someone might respond. She traced the length of the cut once again, letting the excess blood drip down her fingers to rest in her palm like a tiny lake. Seeing the substance only sickened her.  
Her eyes futilely searched the scenery for the hundredth time. The utter hopelessness of the situation had finally managed to overcome even her denial. In afterthought, her actions seemed foolish and impulsive. She would never have a chance to alter her fate though.  
Illusions flickered in the corner of her eye, a bitter reminder of what she had left behind. Now that the adrenaline and rage had drained away from her body, she merely felt exhausted. Even fighting with the senshi seemed too require too much effort. She constantly battled Mercury and had grown tired of it.  
"You go to hell, you little bitch," she muttered. There was no genuine anger in her words. It was simply a repetition of a phrase, a meaningless way of passing time. There was no sense in trying to hide her growing despair from the senshi. Her opponent already knew.  
All of a sudden, Peridot's eyes caught a twinkle of light in the distance. She blinked but the beacon remained. A triumphant smile creased her face. **The little brat must have gotten out there.** With all strength, she willed herself to turn slightly and break through that gap that breached the dimensions. She plunged through, not knowing what lay beyond.  
Peridot surveyed the landscape with her one good eye, trying to figure out where and when she had exited at. The landscape seemed vaguely familiar. She had never seen it herself as there was no city like this on Nemesis, but she couldn't help but feel that she knew this place.   
Recognition flashed over her features as she looked at a single, red tower buried in the heart of the metropolis. She had seen that tower many, many times in textbooks.   
"Tokyo Tower," she whispered with reverence. "This is the Crystal Tokyo of the past, before the great frost. Which is...where that little girl-they used to call her "rabbit"-fled last time. Which means..."  
Shedding her despair almost effortlessly, she began to walk down the deserted streets of the ancient city. She sauntered off with no particular hurriedness. After all, she had all of the time in the world.  
* * * * *   
Usagi's fingers quivered slightly as she forced the buttons on her phone inward. The number was one forever engraved in her memory and she normally would not have had to think about to recall. Today though, she fumbled with the digits, struggling to bring them to her from the depths of her subconscious. She couldn't think, couldn't react. Events seemed to blur together into a surreal blur, all clarity and certainty lost.  
She was halfway through dialing the number when her fatigued mind remembered that Mamoru was gone. Unable to stop herself, she continued to dial and listened intently to the ringing sound on the other end. Predictably, his recorded voice was all that met her ears.  
"Gone..."she whispered. "That's right, Mamo-chan left today. Baka Usagi...what are you doing?" She laughed but the sound that emerged was more of a hysterical giggle. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts.  
Again she lifted the phone and dialed a number so frequently used that it was practically an instinct to use it. A part of her wondered exactly what she was doing, but another part knew that she needed someone there. She couldn't be alone then.  
"Moshi moshi?" a well-known voice answered.  
"Rei-chan?" Usagi asked.   
"Usagi, is that you? Are you all right?" Rei said, her voice instantly filling with concern for her friend.  
"I don't know. Can you come over?"   
"Now?"  
"Yes, please, it's important."   
"I'll be right over." A faint click was heard at the other end of the line followed by silence. Usagi sank back with relief, still struggling to collect herself.  
* * * * *   
In a room buried beneath slabs of stone and soil two figures slept. This place was all but lost to the surface above and the sole source of illumination was a tiny candle in a corner. The light from its sputtering flame exposed slight portions of their faces leaving shadows to play across their blank expressions. The one closest to the light's eyelids fluttered and opened slowly. She did not move but simply continued to lie there gazing at the ceiling as though not ready to wake up.  
The light revealed that she had a sharply pointed nose matching her chiseled face. Her azure eyes were narrowed to near slits and her forehead was hidden by a tangled mass of sandy blonde hair. Her general appearance was one of disarray. Her hair was matted and darkened with oil and her skin still had smears of blood and dirt across it.  
Suddenly, surprise crossed her face. She sat upright instantly, ignoring her bodies complaints at the sudden motion. Her eyes darted around the room in a haunted fashion, desperately trying to absorb her surroundings. One sight in particular caught her attention.  
There was another woman lying on a table beside her. Her turquisoise hair was splayed out around her head framing her pallid skin with a halo. Her slim figure was covered by a tight uniform that clung to her curves leaving little to the imagination. Her body was utterly limp.   
She stood up on two shaky legs, suddenly very curious about the sleeping woman near her. It was impossible for her to explain it or even provide a reason for herself, but she had to know more about the beautiful lady so close to her. Not questioning her instincts, she shuffled to her companion and stared.  
The light really didn't do her justice, she mused. Still, just seeing that face made her breath catch in her throat. She raised one hand slowly, almost as if she were in a trance. She let her fingers run over the smooth skin of the woman's face and sift through her hair.   
"You're awake, I see," a feminine voice whispered from the shadows. She jumped back as if she had been burned. She felt guilty touching the other somehow. Something inside her said that she shouldn't have done that, or at least shouldn't have been caught.   
"Who are you?" she demanded. A thought entered her mind. "What happened to her?" The figure in the shadows stepped foreword into the light.   
"Who are you?" the figure replied evenly. She prepared to answer, but whatever words she had about to say vanished from her lips. Who was she? She couldn't remember. She vaguely recalled that she was someone important but knew nothing else.   
Her eyes widened with confusion at the lack of memories she possessed. She frowned and tried to bring forth the memories that she knew must be there. It was as if there were a barrier sealing her away from them though. Her frustration increased and eventually her efforts seemed to be successful. Memories trickled into her mind filling the emptiness that had been there before.  
"Quartzite," the blonde haired woman intoned. "I am called...Quartzite." **Yes, that was the name that I was given when I was a little girl. My father called me that, though mother had wanted something a little softer and more feminine. She never liked my tomboyish ways. She was...nice though.   
But then she died in that terrible earthquake with my father. They couldn't get to shelter in time and they were both buried. I tore through the rubble like I was insane, rocks slicing my hands. I didn't care though. I thought I might be able to reach them in time...My hands, there was blood all over my hands and I didn't notice for about an hour.** The image of her blood stained hands was strangely vivid in contrast to her other memories. Something about that frantic, desperate race against time through piles of earth and stone seemed uncannily familiar. She dismissed the thought.  
**Mother's face...surrounded by her purple hair, dirt obscuring almost everything but her eyes. And blood...Kami-sama, it was everywhere, it was like I was drowning in the stuff. Her eyes looked so strange. I didn't even think that was her until I saw those eyes peering out of that filthy mess. She smiled when she saw me and said she loved me more than anything and begged me to take revenge on the queen who was responsible...and...and...** The visions in her mind had suddenly become sickeningly real. They were no longer the muted pastel colors of a dream but shockingly realistic in her mind. The strained expression on the woman's face, the violet locks covering the ground, the nauseating sight of blood, all of it was as real as if it had happened only yesterday instead of years ago. The screams of the dying and mourning filled her ears and he smell of death lingered in her nostrils.   
Quartzite staggered backwards, her fingers pressed to her temples. It hurt terribly to even think of it. Her chest ached as if someone had tried to pull her heart out. She felt something warm on her face and realized with a shock that there were tears streaking down her cheeks. She was crying for the first time in years.  
Gradually, the grief drained away from her to be replaced with anger. The emotion welled up inside her. It was a barbaric, violent rage that knew no logic. Her mind vaguely recalled the face of the one who was responsible for this. She had never seen the queen herself, but the image was all too clear. The picture of that monster clad in a white gown with ice-blue eyes was emblazoned into her mind and a perfect target for her blind anger.  
Quartzite clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. Tears had ceased to pour from her eyes at her will. She didn't need anyone to see her cry.   
"Tell me how to avenge them," she managed through her choked throat. "Just tell me how to kill her and I will do it!" The princess from the shadows smiled cruelly. It was a bitter, hollow expression, the kind most commonly seen on that planet.   
* * * * *  
"Usagi!" Rei's voice persisted. After being ignored once again, the raven haired priestess forced the door out of her way. "I know you're there, Usagi!" The cheerfulness in Rei's voice did not extend to her expression which could best be described as a worried scowl. Despite her external indifference and irritation, Rei knew all too well how her friend was feeling and wanted to help her more than anything.  
**This can't go on,** she thought to herself. **She'll just drive herself crazy sitting around here wallowing in self-pity. Baka! She's hurting herself so badly and doesn't even realize it!** Rei felt tears building behind her eyes but she angrily blinked them away. She barely managed to stop herself from storming into the house and searching the place. Usagi would come out when she was ready.  
"Rei-chan?" a quavering voice answered at last. Rei smiled with relief and rushed over towards the source of the sound. She found Usagi curled up in a corner. Her eyes were redder than usual and her skin was puffy bearing witness to her crying. Her face was strangely devoid of emotion, her blue eyes wide and empty. Her usually neat blonde hair was in complete disarray. Her trademark odangoes were no where to be found in the matted golden mess sprouting from her head. She was in an almost fetal position, her arms hugging her knees and her head bent lower than usual.   
"What happened?" Rei demanded, feeling both angry and sympathetic for the pitiful girl before her. Usagi paused before answering. She seemed dazed, as if she were not entirely there.  
"Chibi-Usa's back," she mumbled.   
"What do you mean?" Rei asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep her voice neutral.  
"What do you think I mean?! She's here, now. She just.....fell out of the sky. She was hurt so I thought I should take care of her. That was the right thing to do, ne? I couldn't give her to the hospital, or maybe I should have... ." Usagi's voice trailed off indecisively. It faded into silence with her lack of resolution.  
"Of course it was the right thing to do," Rei assured her.   
"I wish Mamo-chan was here. He'd love me no matter what I was like. He'd tell me I was fine, that there was nothing wrong with me..."  
"Usagi, what are you talking about?" Rei asked, worry creeping into her voice.  
"Mamo-chan would love no matter who I became, ne?" she said as her voice rose to a desperate level. "I know he would! He's always told me that I make him happy and that I'm more important to him that anything in the world! He wouldn't...he would never...leave me...but..." Usagi's final shred of control dissolved. Shudders ran through her body and even though her head was buried in the tangled mass of blonde hair, Rei knew that there were tears making their way down her face.  
"Yamete, Sailormoon," Rei said forcefully. Usagi ceased crying instantly upon hearing the name. Her limp body went rigid. "You said Chibi-Usa-chan came back, ne? Well, that means something's about to start. I thought that everything was over after beating Chaos, but apparently it's not." Usagi didn't move.  
"Look, I'm not happy about this, but I know it's something we need to do. Senshi can't just break down when they're needed. We have to be strong, but most importantly, you have to be strong. You're the one who holds everything together. Without you...we would be nothing." Rei felt a slight stab of guilt as she realized how much pressure she was putting on her friend, but knew that it was necessary.   
"Rei-chan? Could you go now?" she whispered. Rei turned to her, both stunned and injured.  
"Why? I thought you-"  
"Just go. Please." Rei felt her temper rise dangerously but bit her lip for once and left. She told herself firmly that even Usagi needed to be alone occasionally, but that didn't help.  
* * * * *  
That night was one of the longest Usagi had ever been forced to endure. She lay awake in bed for hours, eyes wide even though they could perceive nothing through the veil of darkness. She tried to focus her mind on the rhythm of her breathing, of the mechanical blinking of her eyelids but it was useless.   
Her mind seemed to be running in circles. She kept running over the facts of her situation but could not produce any rational answers or solutions. She was exhausted but also almost hyperactive. Though her body ached with weariness, she couldn't calm herself enough to slip away into the haven of sleep.  
After painfully long hours, sunlight began to filter through her closed curtains. Her eyes were still wide open, though with dark circles underlining them now. Upon seeing the cursed sunlight, she grimaced and pressed her face against her pillow as if to shield it. She was exhausted and agonizing night had not helped at all.  
Before long, her mother's determined voice penetrated even her pillow and Usagi gave up all hope of sleep. She dragged herself from her bed, long tresses trailing behind her, and went into her morning routine.   
She stood in front of the mirror, willing her eyes to stare only at her reflection, not the sleeping child lying on an extra mattress in the far corner of the room. She ripped the brush through her long hair with even more force than usual, hoping that somehow the pain would distract her.  
"Mama?" a voice whispered. Usagi instantly forgot her hair and rushed over to Chibi-Usa's side. The child was still trapped in her fitful sleep. Her face was flushed and eyebrows forced together. Usagi gently pushed aside some of her pink hair to rest a hand on her forehead. She was burning hot with sweat pouring from her face.  
"Chibi-Usa?" Usagi whispered. "Gomen nasai...I couldn't help you...I couldn't...I'm not as strong as you think I am. I'm not a senshi, I'm just a girl, just a schoolgirl. I don't want to be anything else..." She hugged the fragile girl tightly, as if she could somehow pour her own strength into the unconscious child.  
With great tenderness, she lifted Chibi-Usa and placed her under the covers on her own bed. She placed a soft kiss on her forehead and with a quiet goodbye, turned and left.   
Usagi knew she was late for school that morning, but couldn't bring herself to care. Her brain was muddled from lack of sleep and the recent events. It was as if a fog had settled over her thoughts. Vainly, she struggled for answers just as she had the night before and once again solved nothing.  
Usagi was so deeply entranced in her own confusion that she barely was aware of where she was going. Her feet stumbled along by instinct alone. As a result, she didn't even notice a fellow student walking beside her.   
Abruptly, Usagi's foot slipped on a rock sending her careening foreword. With an alarmed squeal she slammed into the other student. The two toppled over to land in a tangled pile on the pavement.  
"I-itai..." Usagi wheezed once some of her breath had returned. She looked with surprise to see who exactly she had landed on. It was a girl dressed in a Juuban uniform that she had never seen before. Wincing a little, she crawled off the girl, guilt beginning to sting her.  
"Gomen ne," Usagi apologized, feeling rather embarrassed. "I'm so clumsy, I really didn't mean to do that." The girl's face was buried by a mass of midnight black hair that streamed down the length of her entire body. Even though she was unable to see her face, Usagi was instantly awed by the other girl's beauty. Her body was slim but still managed to curve in all of the right places. Her hair was every bit as dark as Rei's giving her an almost exotic attractiveness.  
The girl twisted her head up to glare at Usagi and the blonde suddenly felt the desire to take a few steps back. Her face was every bit as lovely as the rest of her but cold somehow. Her slightly slanted violet eyes narrowed to two enraged slits beneath thin eyebrows and more of her deep black hair. Everything about her-her marble like skin, her scarlet lips, her delicate nose-seemed like something from a sculpture.   
Usagi forgot all of this in an instant though. Her one thought was that the poor girl had been hurt on her account. She extended her hand to the fallen girl. Emotions played across her face as she stared at the hand that had been offered to her. She seemed stunned, confused and a little disbelieving. Cautiously, she took the hand and pulled herself up.  
"Who are you?" the girl snapped. Her expression had now hardened to a suspicious glower again. Usagi ignored the blatant hostility.  
"Tsukino Usagi," she replied. "I don't think I know you. Are you new here?"  
"I just transferred. My name is Kuraino Kishi."   
"Nice to meet you," Usagi said. Kishi searched her voice for some sign of treachery or deception but could detect none. The girl seemed to be perfectly sincere. Kishi pivoted so that her back was to Usagi.   
"Goodbye then, Tsukino-san," she said coldly. With that, she walked briskly away from a surprised and hurt Usagi. The girl who was now also called Kishi would not realize the importance of that fateful meeting until much later. It was still sometime before she would question the cruelty or mercy of the enigmatic force known as destiny when it caused that brief crossing of paths.  
* * * * *  
"Konnichi wa, Usagi-chan," Mizuno Ami said kindly. "You're just in time for class." Ami smiled in her shy, gentle way and carefully closed her book as if to acknowledge her friend's presence.  
"Barely though," Makoto teased.   
"Tsukino-san don't you care enough about your academic future to at least be on time to school?" Minako demanded, attempting to lower her voice in imitation of their teacher. Usagi smiled half-heartedly at the familiar conversation. It had become as much a part of her morning routine as the brushing of her hair or frantic dash out the door. That day, it held no interest for her at all. It were as if she were simply following a script from a play.  
She listened to their conversation for a while, nodding or laughing when the situation called for it. She felt strangely out of place with them for the first time in years. She wanted desperately to tell them everything, but didn't know where to begin. She could try to explain her emotions to them. They wouldn't understand though. They couldn't possibly understand.  
Usagi found herself losing focus. The chatter of her friends became a blur of indistinguishable, meaningless voices. She found her eyes drifting lazily around the room. Eventually, they came to rest upon one now very familiar student sitting in the very back of the room. Usagi blinked to see Kishi thinking that it was far to much a coincidence that they would be in the same class. Despite the odds, the other girl was unmistakably the one she had met that morning.  
Usagi felt her lips give some petty excuse to her friends. They seemed confused by her desire to leave them, but did not question her. Usagi walked toward the back of the room. She could never understand what exactly it was that drew her to the sullen girl who glared at the rest of the class with such bitter resentment.   
Usagi sat down on the top of a desk near Kishi's. From her perch, she managed a weak smile.  
"What do you want?" Kishi demanded. "Wait, you're that girl from this morning. It was Tsukino-san, ne?"  
"I just wanted to say hello." Usagi felt her pathetic attempt at a smile fading somewhat.  
"You have no reason to want to see me just as I have no reason or desire to see you. You may go now, Tsukino-san." To emphasize her point, she turned her head so that her face was lost to Usagi. Usagi once again felt the stab of rejection. This time, anger began to get the better of her. She felt an angry retort rise to her lips.  
Just before she spoke, Kishi's head shifted slightly so Usagi could see part of her expression. It was not the contemptuous sneer it had been only a moment ago. Kishi's face was almost impassive now, but somehow mournful and also bitter at the same time. Her eyebrows were drawn together a little more than they should have been and her eyes had an oddly sorrowful quality to them.  
**She's hurt,** Usagi realized. Somehow, Usagi knew deep inside that her instinct was correct. The emotion displayed on her face was the one that Usagi felt buried within her heart. Beyond all doubt, she was certain that this girl felt the same way.   
Usagi could not explain it, but she felt a vague kinship with this girl who seemed so unlike her. This girl could understand her as her friends could not. Usagi suddenly felt an overwhelming compassion to the injured girl. She knew exactly what she was going through. The reasons for her situation or that mornings rejection were no longer important. What mattered was helping her.   
"Kishi-chan? Why do you hate me?" Usagi asked. The other girl turned to her, her face appearing to be startled for an instant before her expression of suspicion and resentment returned.   
"I don't," she said slowly. "Well, not you in particular. I just want to be left alone, that's all. I don't need to hear all this meaningless crap right now." Usagi willed herself not to flinch at the overly harsh phrase.   
"I agree," she said quietly. Kishi whirled around to face her directly.  
"Don't pretend to understand something you don't. You...you have no idea. You're just a shallow, stupid child like the rest of them. You think you know what suffering is like? You don't. You think you know what pain is? You don't. You have everything I could dream of and more. You know nothing and you want to stay ignorant. Go back to your self-indulgent life, you don't belong in mine." Usagi did wince at her words this time. They did not sting because of the intended insult behind them. What made her feel sick inside was the fact that she had thought things like that. It was uncharacteristic of her, but lately she hadn't felt like herself. Everything just seemed different.  
Usagi laughed abruptly. It sounded unusually strangled. Instead of her carefree giggle it was now more of a concealed sob filled with cynism that frightened her. Usagi shook her head, her long locks shaking with her painful laughter. She was exhausted, bewildered, scared and a hundred other emotions she couldn't find words for. The events of the last 48 hours came rushing at her from her sleep deprived mind. It was simply too much.  
She realized that if she continued, she would begin to cry. The feelings locked within her were already gaining strength from her outburst. Soon, she would not be able to stop them. Summoning what strength she had left, she forced the tears gathering behind her eyes back. Slowly, they receded and she was temporarily in control of her fragile emotions again.  
**The old Usagi would have cried,** she thought. **I didn't have to hide anything...but senshi don't cry...** Usagi's body gradually ceased shaking. After several minutes, no one would have been able to tell that she had been on the verge of hysterics.   
"Kishi-chan," she said. Her voice still had a slight tremor in it. "You can't...I don't know what you've been through. I-I can't say I know what your pain is but I know you can't do it alone. It's so hard...alone...it's so..." Her words were cut off as her throat tightened again. She tried to speak but found it difficult to breath.   
**I'm going to cry. If I say anything, I'm gonna...**  
"Tsukino-san...I'm not you. Just leave me alone." Usagi's eyes filled with sympathy which quickly altered to fierce determination.  
"No," she whispered, her voice still obstructed by unshed tears. "You can't. No one can. You'll only hurt yourself more. Just...talk to me sometime, if you need to. I'll always be there for you if you need me." With nothing more to say, Usagi walked back to her seat. Kishi continued to stare at the receding form of the blonde, unsure of what to make of their conversation. The cynical side of her won in the end and with a scornful look she turned to gaze out the window again.  
* * * * *  
**Stupid girl,** the one who now called herself Kishi thought. **Why did she do that?** The lesson had finally started, but the teacher's droning voice meant nothing to her. She attempted to listen at first, if only out of boredom but had soon found it fading into the background. It now affected her no more than an irritating buzzing.  
She was beginning to wonder if her effort to blend in with the people her age in order to gain information was a bad idea. These students were ignorant, oblivious to the politics of their world. They would be of no use to her at all. With a wistful sigh she abandoned all hope of listening the teacher and resumed gazing out the window.  
The scenery that encountered her eyes from beyond the window was nothing like what she might have seen on Nemesis. Tiny, delicate petals fluttered by. They danced and drifted across the tranquil sky so that the whole landscape was bathed in their muted pastel shades. It was a scene that her barren planet would never see.  
**Fluorite would love this,** she thought wistfully. A faint smile came to her lips. Thinking of the child always made her feel better somehow. **She's such a good little girl. She should be here to see this. It would make her so much happier...I'll take her down here some time. She deserves this.**  
Her mind envisioned the girl's eyes widening in awe at the breathtaking sight of this ancient city. Her small lips would split into a grin and with childlike eagerness she would rush forward, arms out as if to embrace everything before her. She would pause suddenly. Looking a little guilty, she would turn and thank her guardian, her violet eyes still dancing with elation. Adularia, or Kishi, would do anything to see that smile. She would do anything to keep the poor girl from the suffering that fate had given her.   
  
"Adularia-chan!" Fluorite called. The cheerful voice was followed by the patter of footsteps as the little girl dashed through the passages of the castle on the surface. Adularia felt her heart sink, dread and nausea rising in her throat. Her eyes swept over the carnage lying before her. Mangled bodies lay at her feet, bones and fragments of flesh protruding from the small lake of blood.   
"I know you're there somewhere!" Fluorite yelled playfully. A childish giggle echoed through the corridors. Adularia attempted without success to swallow the bile gathered in her mouth. Feeling helpless, she sank to her knees. She remained crouched and shaking for several very long minutes. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to expel the foul taste in her mouth and the blood on her skin and her own revulsion. She wanted to throw up this whole image before her, cleanse herself of it.   
Her body, or perhaps her pride, refused her even this. Her own vivid imagination conjured images of Fluorite entering that room, seeing all this gore with her innocent eyes. Her nausea at the thought of that sight far outweighed even what she felt then.   
She stood up on quivering legs once again. She didn't know what to do next. All that was certain in her mind was that she had to do something. She couldn't stay there forever. She had to...stop this somehow. She needed change it, make it go back, make the people go back to what they were, make Fluorite not see it somehow...somehow...  
Her thoughts trailed off into an incomprehensible mix of desperation and fear. Not a single rational solution would present itself. All she could see were Fluorite's mortified face and the repulsive mass of human corpses.  
"This is my fault," she felt her mouth saying quietly. "I should have..." Her mind instantly created a thousand things she could have done. If only she had held out for a few more minutes, the roof would never have caved in like that.   
It was only a few months after the Death Phantom was torn to shreds and his primary followers murdered. Immediately following the demise of their rulers, the society of Nemesis had fallen into chaos. All eyes then turned to her, the only living blood relation of the prince.  
And so the burden of over a thousand souls had come to rest upon her thin shoulders. She had been only twelve then. Already she had been twisted almost beyond repair, her innocence stolen by a dozen injustices she should never have borne witness to. She had accepted this crushing responsibility without protest. It was a responsibility she had been born to carry after all.  
Now, only a short time later, she was already failing miserably. As the planet was no longer within the grip of the prince's enigmatic advisor, it was already falling into ruin. The Black Poison Crystal, the planet's heart, roared uncontrollably. In response to it, the very soil of the planet would rock. Ancient buildings crumbled to dust and fields which had once contained crops were swallowed.  
It was one of these frequent devastations that had claimed the lives of these people. She had tried to prevent it. She had wrapped her arms around the crystal until her skin charred and her body began to burn with the force of the magic. Even then she had struggled to contain it, to somehow. Eventually, the agony had made her body recoil.   
"I could have held on..." she whispered. "I could have stopped this...somehow..."   
A knock sounded on the door, the sound drawing Adularia back into reality. She turned towards the door, eyes wide with a mix of terror and anguish. The dull thudding repeated again and again, sickeningly monotonous and orderly. The door opened before Adularia could stop it and in stepped Fluorite.  
"I found you!" Fluorite said. Her words were accompanied by a small laugh. Adularia stared at the child in horror. Without thinking, she rushed over to the fragile girl and wrapped her in a tight embrace, attempting to shield her eyes from the sight. Her arms were shaking even as she held the little girl.  
"Are you all right?" the child inquired, her voice suddenly quiet as the princess's fear infected her. "What's wrong?" Adularia couldn't bring herself to answer. No plausible lie presented itself and the truth was too much for her to utter. She simply continued to hold the girl as if her life depended upon it. Fluorite began to squirm, uncomfortable in the princess's desperate grip.  
"Let me go! I don't..." Whatever Fluorite had been about to say was cut off as she finally got a view of the room. Her struggling body went limp, muscles sagging.  
"What...what is that?" Adularia felt sick and tried to force the child out of the room. The damage was done though.  
"Nothing. It doesn't matter."  
"Mama?" **Oh please, not that,** Adularia thought. She lifted the girl up and carried her from the room.  
"That's not Amethyst, that's not mama."  
"Wait! That's mama! MAMA! MAMA! Stop! I want to go back!" her voice rose to hysterics. All words were drowned out by a string of heart wrenching sobs. Adularia broke out into a run, frantically trying to get the child away from the scene so much like the one she had seen the day Amethyst had met her end.  
Adularia couldn't see Fluorite's face, but she could feel the tiny drops of liquid hitting her shoulder. The vision of the four-year-old's grief was clearly etched into her mind, burning itself into her eyelids so she could not seak solace from it even in that darkness.   
Fluorite's small fists began to pound the princess's back. Her assault was futile, as she knew all too well, but the girl continued it out of blind anger and pain. She screamed out every curse or vulgar phrase she had ever heard through her stream of tears. Finally, even that faded out.   
Fluorite threw back her head and howled. Her voice echoed off the stone corridors, gaining strength until all of Nemesis screamed with her rage and loss. She voiced one final shriek before collapsing. Her body slumped against Adularia's shoulder, seemingly devoid of the strength that had possessed her only a few moments ago.  
Adularia wanted to cry. She wanted to shed tears for the poor girl sleeping in her arms. She wanted to cry for this girl who so richly deserved a childhood but could not have one, who had to grow up before her time. She wanted to cry for all the children, for all the people who lived in that insufferable hell. But no tears would come. No tears ever came.  
  
Kishi's mind snapped back into the present. Her body had betrayed her distress and was still shaking. She spat into one quivering hand when no one was looking to get the vile taste out of her mouth. She felt sick. Looking out at the beautiful scenery beyond the window, she felt only disgust.  
* * * * *  
Peridot's emerald eyes darted back and forth, surveying her surroundings with an overly meticulous search. Every person had to be watched. Any person could be one of them. It had been only a little over 37 hours since she had made her graceless descent into the past. She had not slept or even relaxed her guard for all of that time.   
After so long, her exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her. She had sustained herself on adreniline, fear and rage until this point, but even these were slowly fading away. At that point, she merely felt tired and afraid. It was fear, irrational, driving fear that allowed her to remain concious.  
Mercury was quiet for once. She still refused to accept her situation, but she was saving her badly depleted energy for when it was needed. Peridot was grateful for the temporary silence. Fighting the senshi was taking more energy than she could ever have anticipated. She had no energy to waste then.  
Only now was the reality of her situation beginning to sink in. She had disobeyed orders, risked changing the future and worst of all had been unsuccessful. If she had been able to capture the sole heir to the throne of Crystal Tokyo, her errors could have been forgiven. As it stood, she had only endangered her own life even more.  
The princess would want her dead, that was certain. She couldn't afford to have someone challenge her authority and survive. She was well aware of the fact that Adularia disliked her. The princess hadn't even been terribly subtle about it. She would love an opportunity like this.  
"So, now what, genius?" she muttered under her breath. She felt Mercury's reluctance to answer the question directly.   
**Why should I help you?** the senshi questioned. **I would benefit from your death and you have caused the people I love a great deal of suffering.** Peridot listened to this formal refusal and grinned maliciously. Through the cold statement she had sensed another emotion.  
"Come on, bitch. You know you don't want me to die." Mercury had a difficult time concealing her surprise.  
**You are...correct,** she said finally. Peridot smiled again, a faint spark of triumph illuminating her eyes. **It will probably be neccassary for the survival of our kingdom for you to die though.**   
"I'll bet you don't want all those people over there to die either." Mercury's surprise changed to fury and panic in an instant. Peridot allowed her eyes to shift to a large crowd of humans attending some event in a nearby park. They didn't see her.  
**You...wouldn't. You could alter the future. How do you know if one of them is the ancestor of someone on Nemesis? And it would make you easy to find. The princess will be looking for deaths like this.**  
"You think I care? If I stay like this, I'll be found anyway. Besides, I don't like too many people on Nemesis. It doesn't mean much to me if they die."  
**I'll fight you! You can't use my abilities for that!** There was a desperate edge to the senshi's thoughts. She knew all too well how helpless she would be in that situation.   
"I'll make a deal with you. I know nothing about this world, and I can't pull the information out of you. I'll let you take over a couple of times. I need shelter, food, possibly a job of some kind. Help me out a little and I'll see what I can do to separate us and won't leave a pile of bodies around Tokyo. Got it?"  
**There is no way for my spirit and your body to be seperated unless your heart stops beating. The spell is a strong binding one, too strong for either of us to sever.**  
"There's still a chance. Nothing's final. Besides, I don't want to be stuck with you for the rest of my life, even if you are powerful. You're more trouble than you're worth."  
**I don't know if I should thank you for that.**  
"Besides, if we catch the little princess, Adularia-sama would be willing to do anything. She'll reverse the spell. Until then, truce?"  
**I suppose I have no choice but to agree. You will not let Small Lady fall into Nemesis's claws though. If you do that, I swear you'll never live through this.**  
"We'll discuss that later. For now, let's find some food, or something. Sitting around won't get us anywhere." She waited a moment, but felt no resistance from the senshi. Her lips once again curved into a smile. It was not so much an expression of emotion this time as the simple realization that it was not over yet. She was alone, but not entirely. She would survive. What happened after that was something for her to ponder tomorrow.  
* * * * *  
Usagi waved her hand mechanically and turned her back to her friends. It was an automatic gesture. It carried no meaning for her any more. It was a movement of muscles, a mindless motion that signified nothing. Each day had been like this for the past week after the arrival of Kuraino Kishi. Events, actions and even the brief moments she spent with her friends had seemed pointless. She was simply following a basic pattern, living her life through simple, robotic motions that meant nothing to her.  
**It's like fighting,** she thought sickly. **I show up, kill the monster and then everybody's happy again. It's my job. It's what I, no, Sailormoon, does. Sometimes, I wondered if I really cared about what I was doing anymore. I was just going through the motions. I kept killing because I had to. I didn't know how to stop. But it doesn't really matter anymore. It shouldn't. I was just supposed to go back to being Usagi again. A silly, clumsy, gluttonous, lazy highschool student. If I don't even care about that anymore...**  
Usagi extended her foot to kick a small stone barring her path. It scittered along the sidewalk before finally coming to rest against a wall. She took no notice of it. She simply continued to shuffle in the direction her memory insisted was where home was.   
**Why is this bothering me so suddenly? It never worried me before...I met Luna almost four years ago now and in all that time it never occurred to me...I just wish Mamo-chan were here, and I knew that Chibi-Usa was okay. It's just too much at once. Him dying then...No! I can't think of that. He isn't dead. He can't be dead. I just wish he were here...  
I can't handle this. I just...can't. It's too confusing. There's too much happening and I feel so empty and weak and...and...** Usagi's thoughts faded into obscurity, her mind no longer capable of reasoning. She simply continued to walk after that, her thoughts still trapped in a dizzy, incomprehensable cycle.   
* * * * *  
**I'll just drop out,** Kishi thought angrily. **It's not like it matters. I'm far ahead of these primitive people. Besides, it'll give me more time to search.** Even as she thought this, her mind kept returning to dwell on the image of her blonde classmate. This would only increase her frustration and fuel her desire to forget the other girl. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remove the from her mind.  
There was something about her, something that even the princess found impossible to place. Maybe it was the way she had broken down and laughed in that hysterical, desperate way. It was such a bitter, hollow noise that spoke more of suffering than joy. It was a sound that seemed all too familiar to her, though she would never allow it to be heard as Tsukino Usagi had.  
There was genuine pain in that soft cry for help. It was not an emotion she had expected to hear from an adolescent in this period of time. It was not something she could dismiss as shallow or inane.   
The other thing that had drawn her attention to the seemingly ordinary girl was the look of determination she had possessed fleetingly. Her placid blue eyes had suddenly flared with something that Adularia could not describe. It was a mixture of fervent passion, strength and possibly even anger that said more about her than words ever could. It was not an expression she was accustomed to seeing, even on the faces of her fellow citizens who had endured more suffering than these humans could even comprehend.  
**Yes,** she reflected. **There was something...intriguing about her, but it doesn't matter. Why should it? I could have misinterpreted. In fact, I probably did. She's just the foolish child I assumed she was. Nothing more. She means nothing to me. My people are everything. How could she be important to me?**  
Even as she thought this, she knew it was a lie. She wanted to learn more about the unusual girl, as much as she might deny it. A part of her even held the desire to help her somehow, to ease the pain she bore. It was ludicrous, something she knew she should not even consider. With that thought, she forced the notion from her mind.  
She began to walk more briskly, as if she could somehow escape all of her troubles just by outrunning them. It was a subconcious reaction at first. She knew that the problem lay within herself and that was something she could never truly escape. However, the more she walked the more uncomfortable she became.   
She turned her head to seek the source of her anxiety but nothing was apparent. Still dissatisfied, she continued to walk, her pace increasing with each step. Now that the idea had occurred to her, she was more certain than ever that she was being watched. Years of being a prime target for assasination had given her uncanny instincts. She was not about to ignore them at a time when so much was at stake.  
Her eyes scanned the unsuspicious crowd of people around her. An old woman dragged her whining child, an old man calmly read his paper, a couple of girls chatted on a bench; everything seemed perfectly innocent. This did nothing ease her growing fears. Too many situations seemed harmless and too many of them turned out to be perilous beyond imagination.  
When she finally spotted the source of her anxiety, a sense of sickening dread filled her. Standing by a cherry tree was a particularly slender woman with distinctive, emerald hair. There was a very intent look upon her face as she gazed at Kishi. She had a haggard look that she had not worn the last time the princess had seen her and the skin on her face looked sallow and sunken but it she was unmistakable.  
Kishi looked desperately for a way to escape. The obvious way out of this situation would be to kill Peridot. To do that though, she would need to use magic and using her powers in a crowded area would ruin any chance of gaining information as an ordinary citizen. Since the child had almost certainly landed within the tenth district of Tokyo, tracking her this way would be the most effective method. Whoever was hiding her would undoubtably be smart enough to keep her away from anyone clearly bearing the mark of Nemesis. It was too valuable of a chance to give up.  
With this in mind, Kishi searched for a way out of the difficult situation. Running was never something she liked to do, but at times it was the only option. Dying in a pointless battle was not her idea of glory.   
Peridot began to walk foreword with tiny steps. Her eyes still possessed a crazed gleam and her colorless mouth had twisted in an unnerving grin. Kishi forced the panic rising within her to disperse. Seeing no clear options, she did the first logical thing. She broke out into a sprint, winding her way through the throng of people. She didn't bother to check and see if Peridot was following her or not.   
She had to put some distance between her and her pursuer. She could worry about losing her later, but for the moment all that mattered was getting far enough ahead. She felt several people crumple and fall back as she ran past them but ignored their cries. They were irrelevent.   
She vaulted over a bench and began to run towards what looked like an alley. Crowds would buy her time, but Peridot would catch her eventually. If she could reach a deserted area such as an alley before the other woman got a clear shot at her, she might have a chance. Even controlling a senshi, Peridot would be helpless in a direct confrontation.  
After several minutes of weaving through confused civilians, she finally broke free of the denser group of people. She began to run in earnest now. With no people barring her path her speed the going was easier and less frustrating. She was still afraid, but the panic was no longer even close to overpowering. Her legs and body moved in rythmic strides instead of jerky, uneven paces.  
She was beginning to think that she might have control over the situation. With her mind clear, Peridot no longer seemed as threatening. That was when everything changed.  
As always, it began slowly. A throbbing accompanied the fluttering of her heart. She put a hand over the skin which pulsed with it her increasingly pained heart. Her fingers clutched at the bow of her school uniform. She struggled to ignore it, to focus only on the constant sound of her feet striking the pavement but was unable to. The pain only grew stronger with each agonized step she took.  
She knew what would come. Memories of past attacks swam to the surface of her mind. She saw herself shivering in a corner, pressed against the wall as if it would provide salvation. She saw the blood drip from her winding tendrils of hair, the violent cuts from her own nails, her blood-stained lips and crazed eyes. That was what would follow.  
She began to have to struggle just to inhale. Her throat gagged at the air she tried to force down and her lungs repeled it. Her steps shortened and her pace slowed until she was only walking. A part of her questioned the logic of this. She would never escape that way. Still, something drove her to stagger on.   
**Don't look back,** she silently chanted. Even though she saw nothing behind her, she felt her enemy closing in. She stumbled foreword clumsily in an effort to run. After only a few steps, she fell foreword to land sprawled on the pavement in the alley she had tried so desperately to reach. With shaking fingers, she pulled herself foreword.  
"Damn...it," she hissed through her clenched teeth. Her persistance refused to allow her to cease her flight though she already knew it was futile. A shadow appeared before her on the pavement. She flinched upon seeing it, knowing all too well who it was.  
"Hello, Hime-sama," Peridot whispered. "You didn't think I'd recognize you with that fancy spell of yours, ne? You shouldn't have tried it once on Nemesis." The princess tried to focus her thoughts. If she could just conjure one object it would be enough. People might see, but at that point it was worth the risk.  
"I know you've come for me, Hime-sama. Of course you would. You didn't want to let me live, did you? I was too dangerous, wouldn't be one of your little pawns."  
Kishi barely heard the words. A haze of pain had settled over her thoughts. To concentrate on anything beyond that seemed an impossibility. Kishi was almost beyond comprehensible thought when one voice pierced through her agony.  
"Stop right there!" someone shouted. Even through her torment, Kishi recognized that voice. She twisted her head to see. The figure was blurred in her vision. Colors had melded together to form a pillar that seemed vaguely human. She felt her eyes enlarge with the realization of who it must be.   
"For love and justice," the figure cried. Kishi continued to gaze in horror. With painful slowness, her eyes were beginning to clear and her nameless rescuer was becoming more defined every second.   
"A pretty senshi in a sailor fuku! Sailormoon!" Kishi felt as though she had just been slapped. With the shock, the pain subsided enough for her to finally make out just who stood before her. She was surprising short in height and slender in build. Her long legs were sheathed with matching white boots bearing small crescents. Surrounding her waist was a decidedly unmodest, layered skirt of three colors. Her top consisted of a white leotard with rose colored sleeves on either side. This was adorned by a small broach with wings protruding from the side. The back of her usual costume had twin angel wings sprouting from it.   
Kishi paused only a moment to marvel at the strange costume. It seemed ludicrously out of place and distasteful in a battle. She had seen pictures of course, but never actually believed that the legendary warrior who had defeated the Death Phantom really wore the guady ensemble.  
She found herself almost questioning the idea of this being Sailormoon. Her disticinctive hairstyle and outfit certainly matched the discripions she had heard. Still, the blonde girl standing before her was less than intimidating. She looked almost fragile. The concept of the fate of the world resting on her shoulders was as absurd as her costume.  
As Kishi continued to stare though, she noticed something else. There were conflicting emotions in those pale blue eyes and slim body. There was a quiet kind of dignity there. Beneath the brightly colored costume there was a genuine strength that no outfit could ever forge. Her pride seemed to be more than slightly lacking that day though. Her narrow shoulders sagged and the fierce determination that her eyes held was merely a façade. The champion of justice had apparently seen better days.  
For a split second Kishi thought that her enemy had found her. She followed the senshi's gaze and saw to her surprise that her glare was directed at Peridot. Upon seeing this, Kishi almost laughed outloud. The irony was truly sickening. She was being saved from her ally by her nemesis.  
With a graceful movement of her hand the senshi snatched her weapon from the empty air before her. She lifted the sceptor above her head. Kishi wished she could see Peridot's expression. After hearing of the prince's defeat, the senshi was deemed invincibale by most. The concept of facing her and remaining intact was almost laughable in its ludicrousness.  
"This isn't over," Peridot snarled. With that, she whispered something under her breath and dissolved in a azure glow. Sailormoon looked a little startled but put her weapon away. Kishi turned her focus back to the person she had loathed since childhood. She jerked the corners of her lips upward and tried to place an emotion that resembled gratitude into her eyes. Even with all of her experience as a member of royalty who had to lie to keep their society intact, it was a challenge. It took every ounce of skill she possessed to prevent her expression from altering to raw hatred.  
"Arigato," she said with as much sincerity as she could manage. Sailormoon smiled, but like Kishi's smile it was a hollow attempt. There was only sorrow behind her eyes. She looked as if she would say something but lost the words before she could voice them. Silently, she leapt away, her enormous wings allowing her to glide out of sight.   
Kishi went limp, her strength abandoning her once again. A few curses trickled from her parted lips as the pain returned as strongly as before. Her chest tightened until breathing was all but impossible. The colors before her eyes ran together into a disorienting mess until she finally shut her eyes.   
"Kishi-chan! What happened?" Kishi felt herself flinch. Even in her clouded mind she recognized the high pitched cry of distress.   
"Tsukino-san, I told you to leave me alone," she said, unable to bring the required edge to her voice.  
"I told you that I'd be there for you. I wasn't lying. You need help, whether you want to admit it or not."  
"No..." Kishi protested feebly. "I'm...fine...fine, don't need....help..." Her voice faded as her thoughts sank into blackness. She vaguely remembered feeling a relief at that. Darkness was her haven. She would be safe there.  
* * * * *  
Quartzite's eyes snapped open abruptly. She was already sitting up in her bed, her entire body rigid with tension. Sweat crawled down her forehead and her mouth gasped for air. Her eyes searched the blackness before her. Nothing.   
It took several minutes for Quartzite's body to relax even slightly and for the adreniline that had flooded her system to dissipate somewhat. Even then her muscles were still coiled tightly and her jaw clenched. Her eyes no longer darted back and forth with terror that bordered on insanity but still warily peered into her dark surroundings.   
She conjured a small flame in her still badly shaking hand and used it to light a candle near her bed. The darkness abated somewhat, retreating to the corners of her room.  
"What is it this fucking darkness. It's everywhere in this fucking hellhole like a fucking infestation..." Several equally vile words came from her mouth before she returned to her silence. She sat in her bed staring at her flickering source of light shivering profusely. She snatched her reletively thin blankets up and covered her insufficiently clad body with them to keep away cold.   
She had been attempting to sleep since the princess's departure and still had no success. Everytime her eyelids closed her nightmares would come back to haunt her. Images, violent, horrific images would rise from her memories and take form. Blood would once again flow in brilliant scarlet from her fallen mother. Violet eyes would look at her pleadingly then role back. The pink would drain from her flesh leaving the white of stone. And she would scream. She, Quartzite, would throw her head back and scream until there was nothing left inside her. After that she would slump to the ground, wishing only for death to come to her.   
It was so vivid she found it almost impossible to believe that the event had occurred years ago. The colors, the temperatures, the scents, everything was so perfectly preserved that when she woke up she questioned if what was before her was reality.  
"Why?" she whispered silently. "Why me?" she inquired again. No answer came to her of course. No one could possibly explain why she had been singled out by some divine entity or random act of fate. She sighed and resigned herself to waiting out the rest of the night. Sleep would not bring relief. Nothing could ever grant her that.  
* * * * *   
Usagi felt her eyes well up with tears once more. This time, she did nothing to stop them from breaking free though. They gathered in front of her eyes to blur the room around her them slowly traced their way down her cheeks to splash on to the table before her. She shuddered as more tiny droplets fell.   
It took several minutes for Usagi's crying to finally cease. When there were no tears for her eyes to shed she stood up. She trembled from the emotions that had just been released but felt better with herself. Allowing her grief for her lover and child to show even briefly was something she had trained herself against doing. To break the control that had developed over her three years as a senshi was both difficult and neccassary.   
**Mamo-chan, why couldn't you be here? I need you. I'm not strong enough to do this on my own. I'm not strong enough to be Sailormoon. I'm not even strong enough to be Usagi anymore! I don't know who I'm supposed to be anymore,** she thought.   
A faint moaning interupted Usagi's silent cry of dispair. She pivoted to see the girl from school who had so firmly rejected her stirring in her sleep. Usagi rushed over to her, forgetting her tear streaked face.  
Kuraino Kishi was sprawled across the couch in the living room draped in the first blanket Usagi had been able to find. Her face was paler than it should have been, it's tone almost matching Chibi-Usa's in it's unnatural beauty. Her expression also bore resemblence to the one Chibi-Usa wore. Her eyebrows were pressed together and her lips were parted to reveal gritted teeth.   
"Gomen ne, Kishi-chan...It's all my fault that this happened to you," Usagi whispered. "Ano...I-I have to...start on my homework. I mean, I don't want to leave you here. If...you need me for anything just yell." Kishi showed no sign of awareness. Her face retained its contorted expression.  
Usagi turned hesitantly and began to walk toward the stairs, her feet brushing the floor only lightly so as not to disturb the motionless girl. She stopped suddenly. The foot that was still raised a few centimeters dropped to touch the floor. She pivoted and walked quietly back to her guest.  
If Usagi had not heard the barely audibible sound of Kishi's breathing, she might have believed that she was dead. She was still beautiful, but also cold somehow. Even in her sleep she seemed to have no peace. Her expression bore witness to that.  
"I'll protect you," Usagi said. "I may not be able to save everyone else, but at least I'll save you." As Usagi left the room, she failed to notice that Kishi's eyes had opened to narrow slits for the first time in several hours. She did not move or give any indication of her alert state except for the confused expression which entered those violet eyes before they closed and she returned to slumber.  
* * * * *  
Kishi's eyes snapped open. For a moment she was disoriented. The sunshine drifting through the window and array of color were not something she expected to see on Nemesis. For a fraction of a second, she thought that something had changed and miraculously pulled Nemesis from its broken state. Logic quickly reinsererted itself though. Nemesis remained submerged in darkness just as her people did and she was on Earth.  
Upon realizing this it occurred to her that she did not know where she was on Earth. She moved from her relaxed position to a tense fighting stance with one swift motion. Her eyes flitted back and forth, scanning the room for any sign of danger.   
"Kishi-chan!" a high pitched voice cried. A series of thuds heralded the approach of the clumsy schoolgirl. Upon reaching the bottom of the stares, Usagi skidded across the wooden floor for a few feet before coming to an unsteady halt.  
"Tsukino...san?" Kishi said hesitantly. Usagi's face broke into a large, if somewhat breathless smile.   
"Are you okay?" Usagi asked, worry returning to her features.  
"I'm fine," Kishi replied stiffly. "I'm completely all right. Now, if you will excuse me, I must go." Injury flickered across the blonde's face. Concealing emotions obviously was not her strong point. Kishi felt her body falter at seeing the hurt expression.  
"Sure, I wouldn't want to make you late or anything," she answered. Though her words were cheerful and she attempted to smile a little, her voice sounded hollow. There was something about that voice that reminded Kishi of Fluorite. Maybe it was the meloncholy ring of her words or the way she tried so pitifully to hide her own deep sadness. Whatever the resemblance was, it made her planned departure impossible. The idea of abandoning someone who sounded so much like that child was simply impossible.   
"Actually....it isn't that important. I can stay for a couple minutes. Why don't you tell me what's wrong, if its bothering you that much?" Usagi winced slightly.  
"Is it really that obvious?" she asked. Kishi nodded.  
"Ano...it's kind of a long story..." Usagi had not intended to tell Kishi everything, but somehow it all came tumbling out.   
"The man I love left to study in America about several days ago," she began. "He's so much smarter than I'll ever be. His essay was accepted by one of the best universities there! He...he really wanted to go too. I mean, it was kind of his dream I guess. He was supposed to go last year but....something....happened. There was....his plane crashed and some of the passengers died. It took awhile for him to be rescued but I didn't know he wasn't at the university.  
I kept writing letters every single day. I told him all about my life and how all my friends were doing. He never answered though. I must have sent a hundred letters, but I never got a single one back. At first I just thought he was busy. He said he wasn't going to have much time to contact me in the beginning.  
And so, it was okay. I knew he loved me. When he left, I had promised to see him off with a smile so that he wouldn't worry about him. I wanted to beg him not to go, but...I wanted him to be happy. I broke down and cried anyway. I'm kind of immature in that way. I just couldn't stop my tears from flowing. Then, he gave me a ring, a promise that he would always, always love me. I knew when I got that that he would come home for me. So, I kept writing and imagining him reading my letters and smiling. I just didn't think about the fact that he hadn't written.   
As the months passed though I began to get more and more worried. I always wondered if I was good enough for him. I'm clumsy, loud, unsophisticted and a horrible student. I'd always wanted a wonderful boyfriend exactly like him, so it seemed like a dream when he told me he loved me. I had always been a little worried that someone better would come along though. There are so many people who are prettier or more academic than me and I began to wonder if he had found someone else. It became harder and harder to write him as I kept thinking that he might just find my constant letters annoying.  
I always thought I was strong before that, that I'd grown up and matured. I found out I was wrong. Once Mamo-chan-that's what I call him-left I felt more alone than I ever had in my life. It was like half of me had just vanished. Another man came along, Seiya. He was an idol at the time. He was attractive and nice. I think he fell in love with me. For a while I actually considered trying to return his love. Aren't I horrible? I was so weak and hurt that I actually thought of that.  
When Mamo-chan returned I never wanted him to go away again, but he just did. I wanted to stop him, but I also wanted to let him go. Isn't that strange? To love someone too much to lose them and at the same time to know you must do what's right for them? I'm just so afraid that something bad will happen again and I'll never see his face again. I don't think I could live.  
And, over the past couple of days some things have changed. I can't explain it very well, but all of a sudden my...Chi-my cousin showed up and is hurt. I just don't know who I am without him. I tried to be strong last time, but I couldn't. I just fell to pieces or failed whenever my friends needed me. Without him, who am I? My friends all depend on me but I can't help them. I'm not who everyone thinks I am. I'm nothing without the people I love. I can't do anything on my own, as just plain Usagi..."  
Again, Kishi felt a pang of sympathy for the girl, but also anger.   
"How can you say that?" Kishi said, her words sounding harsher than she had intended. Usagi looked at the others girl in surprise at the sudden ridicule.  
"What do you mean?" she asked. She had not been sure of how the other student would react, but this was the last thing she had expected.  
"You just said that you're nothing without him. How can you say that because he left you, you are capable of nothing but tears when he's not beside you to hold your hand and comfort you? If that's who you really are, that pathetic, whimpering brat then I can't say I would blame anyone for not responding." Usagi said nothing, feeling slightly ashamed and unsure of what to say.  
"I must have been mistaken, for that wasn't what I saw in you the other day. You didn't seem like the kind of girl to break down so easily. I thought that you might be someone capable of tremendous things, that buried beneath all your clumsy, gluttonous, gullible, naïve exterior there might be a very strong girl."  
"No...you're wrong. I'm not really..."  
"Tsukino-san," Kishi said. "Everyone must have there moments to cry and let these emotions out, but they also need to have faith and move on. You're experience was undoubtably hard considering the easy life you've had, but you must recover from it eventually. Hope for the best, and stay refuse to give in to your doubts. If you can do that-though I doubt it-then you'll get through this. That's the only way anyone ever survives tragedies.  
"Kishi-chan, what happened to you?" Usagi asked abruptly. Usagi had only just noticed the change in Kishi's expression. Her eyes had grown distant and had aquired an almost eerily determened quality.   
"Nothing that concerns you," Kishi snapped, the edge returning to her voice. "I need to go. Think about what I said though. You have the ability to get back on your feet...maybe you shouldn't do it on your own though. I'm...not the best person to have as a friend but...I'm sure you have other people you can depend on." There was a brief, awkward silence before Kishi turned to the door and stepped out without another word.  
Usagi was surprised to find that she felt considerably better after her conversation. The other girl had shown very little pity for her. Yet, Usagi felt encouraged by what she had said. Kishi was not the kind of person to show compassion frequently. Her personality was reserved and aloof. To show such empathy, even if it was accompanied by her disdain at times was no small feat for someone like her.  
She examined her emotions more closely. She no longer felt like crying. Her tears had all been spent a short while before. She still felt empty inside and the void where Mamoru should have been still throbbed like an open wound. She did feel somewhat stronger though. It was faint, but she felt a trace of the courage she had thought she had lost. Whether that was due to her own inner strength or Kishi's encouragement or both she did not know. What was important was that it was there again. She was far from being all right, but she was on the right path again. Her heart would heal eventually.  
Usagi suddenly realized the implications of their short conversation: the enigma known as Kuraino Kishi had, for the first time, shown an emotion other than contempt or anger. Kishi had allowed her Usagi see a part of herself.  
* * * * * 


End file.
